Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about StrikeIQ and systematic premium harvesting. Unfamiliar with a term? Check the options trading glossary.
About StrikeIQ
Do I need to be an experienced options trader?
No. StrikeIQ is designed for both beginners and professionals. The Starter plan includes a daily action list on the Command Center, constraint gauges that tell you exactly when you're safe to open new positions, and pre-calculated recommendations. You don't need to understand Greeks or Black-Scholes — StrikeIQ handles the math for you.
What brokers does StrikeIQ work with?
StrikeIQ works alongside any broker. It's not a brokerage — it's a decision-support dashboard. You execute trades at your existing broker (Interactive Brokers, Schwab, Fidelity, E*TRADE, tastytrade, etc.) and track positions in StrikeIQ. Our reconciliation feature lets you upload broker statements or screenshots to keep everything in sync.
Can StrikeIQ track my whole portfolio, not just options?
Yes, on Pro and Institutional. The Portfolio Manager combines every broker account — stocks, ETFs, crypto and cash — into one net worth, nets margin loans against it, and shows it in your display currency. Add holdings by hand or import a broker export: CSV and spreadsheet files are read directly, with dedicated Schwab, Fidelity and Julius Baer parsers, and PDF statements or screenshots go through AI extraction with every extracted row flagged for you to review. Today, WTD, MTD and YTD returns are time-weighted, so deposits and withdrawals never count as gains or losses. Starter accounts see what's included and can upgrade at any time.
Does StrikeIQ place trades for me?
No. StrikeIQ never connects to your brokerage to place orders — it's a decision-support tool. It shows you which strikes fit your rules and when to take profit or roll; you place the trade yourself at your broker. You stay in full control of your capital.
How does the AI analysis work?
StrikeIQ Insights uses Claude AI to deliver context-aware commentary across every tab — portfolio health checks, volatility analysis, per-stock strike recommendations, trade prioritization, and performance reviews. The AI synthesizes your positions, market regimes, technical analysis, and backtested data to provide actionable guidance specific to your portfolio.
Can I cancel my subscription anytime?
Yes, you can cancel anytime. There are no long-term contracts or cancellation fees. If you cancel, you'll retain access through the end of your billing period.
Is my data secure?
Absolutely. Your data is stored in a secure, encrypted PostgreSQL database hosted on enterprise-grade infrastructure. All connections use TLS encryption. Market data is fetched server-side from Polygon.io. AI features send the data they need to the Anthropic API, and our Privacy Policy lists every service that receives your data. We never sell your trading data.
Strategy & Methodology
What is StrikeIQ's trading methodology?
StrikeIQ uses a systematic framework for generating income through options premium selling. It combines cash-secured put selling, share accumulation on assignment, and covered call writing — all governed by risk constraints that you define. StrikeIQ sets position limits, exposure caps, and profit-taking rules to keep your portfolio disciplined, and all parameters are fully customizable to fit your portfolio.
What is a Danger/Buy Zone (DBZ)?
The DBZ is a drawdown range (e.g., 15-25% below 52-week high) where you'd be comfortable taking assignment on a stock. It helps determine optimal put strike prices — you want to sell puts at strikes within or near the DBZ so that if assigned, you're buying shares at an attractive price.
What does IV Rank mean?
IV Rank measures where current implied volatility sits relative to its 52-week range. An IV Rank of 0 means IV is at its annual low; 100 means it's at its annual high. Generally, an IV Rank above 50 indicates elevated premium, making it a favorable time to sell options.
What are the Greeks and why do they matter?
The Greeks measure how an option's price changes with different factors. Delta: price sensitivity to stock movement. Theta: time decay — how much value the option loses per day (this is income for sellers). Gamma: rate of delta change. Vega: sensitivity to implied volatility changes. As a premium seller, Theta is your friend and Gamma is your risk.
How do VIX regimes work?
The VIX index measures market-wide implied volatility. StrikeIQ classifies VIX into four regimes: Risk-On (VIX below 15, green), Neutral (15-20, yellow), Risk-Off (20-30, orange), and Crisis (above 30, red). Higher VIX generally means richer premiums but also higher risk. Crisis mode triggers automatic protocol adjustments.
When should I close a position for profit?
StrikeIQ has two profit-taking rules. Early Take Profit: close at 60-75% of max premium when significant time remains. Late Close: close at 80-90% profit with 7 or fewer DTE. At that point, remaining premium is small relative to assignment risk. These rules are surfaced as alerts on your Dashboard.
What happens when I get assigned?
When a put expires in-the-money, you're assigned shares at the strike price. StrikeIQ tracks this automatically — the position moves from 'Open Puts' to 'Assigned Shares.' You can then write covered calls against those shares to continue harvesting premium while waiting for the stock to recover.
What happens when a constraint is violated?
When a constraint turns red (violated), the Dashboard shows a prominent alert. You won't be locked out of trading, but StrikeIQ will warn you and recommendations will prioritize reducing exposure. Common fixes: close profitable positions, reduce position size, or wait for existing positions to expire. You can also adjust your constraint limits in Settings → Constraint Parameters (or the gear on the Command Center) if they no longer fit your portfolio.
Data & Features
How often does market data update?
During US market hours StrikeIQ refreshes stock prices and IV from Polygon.io every two minutes, and any StrikeIQ page you have open receives each refresh over a live connection and updates itself; if that connection drops, the page falls back to polling. Outside market hours you see the last refresh. Options Greeks are computed using the Black-Scholes model with current market inputs. AI commentary is cached and refreshes when the data it describes changes.
What broker formats does Reconcile support?
Reconcile accepts CSV, Excel (XLSX), and screenshot uploads. Most major retail brokers (Schwab, Fidelity, IBKR, ETRADE, Robinhood, Tastytrade) export a compatible CSV. StrikeIQ recognises the export from its column headers; if it picks the wrong broker, choose the right one from the Format menu (there is no column mapping to set up). If your broker doesn't expose a clean export, drop a screenshot of the positions page and StrikeIQ will read it automatically.
Can I export my data?
CSV export is a Pro feature. The Positions list and the P&L trade history each have a CSV button, and the Tax Lots tab exports a Form 8949 CSV for tax prep. On Starter those buttons carry a Pro lock that opens the upgrade options.
Billing
What happens to my data if I downgrade to Starter?
Nothing is deleted. Your existing positions, journal entries, and history are preserved. However, Starter caps apply going forward — for example, you cannot open new positions beyond the 12-position limit, and Pro-only features (Portfolio Manager, Volatility, TA, Reconcile, AI Commentary, IQ Mode, etc.) become locked. Your Portfolio accounts, holdings, cash transactions and loans are kept, not deleted, while it is locked. Re-upgrading at any time restores access immediately.
Can I get a refund?
Stripe handles billing for StrikeIQ. Cancel anytime from Account → Manage Billing — you keep paid features until the end of the current billing period, and no further charges occur. For prorated refund requests on annual plans or special-case situations, submit a ticket via Help → Submit Ticket and the team will respond.