Tracking option spreads

[mjammer]

I just downloaded Fund Manager to see if it would help me with my options trading. I trade a lot of credit/debit spreads with 3 to 4 legs; sometimes as many as 6 legs. I would like to be able to view each spread position, with all the legs, individually. I would also like to determine my cost basis, when aplicable, or my money at risk, for each position depending on the type of spread.
After downloading some data into fund manager and without spending a lot of time trying to figure out the software, it doesn't appear as if this is what I'm looking for. Please let know if I am wrong, and just need to spend more time learning the software. If Fund Mamager is not what I need, is there another program out there that more specialized for option trades?

[Mark]

Hi mjammer,

I'm not familiar with these types of trades. I can point you to our instructions for tracking option trades:

http://www.fundmanagersoftware.com/options.html

If that doesn't help answer your questions, please try to explain in more detail how your trades are different from the ones described at the above link, or what specific feature you would need. Fund Manager doesn't have any option specific features. It sounds like you are maybe trying to do a calculation between trades from 2 different investments? If so, FM doesn't do this. I'm not familiar with any other more specialized software for trading options, but a Google search would probably yield something.

[jerryo]

hi mjammer

I use FM with options … the program is NOT for handling complicated situations as you’re describing
– BUT –
with a little planning it could be accomplished:
you’d have to assign names to your strategies – see category labels - "user defined" (I think there are about 18 of them) and in combination with the “asset type label” you could get the reports done etc.

I solved the cost basis tracking, profit/loss tracking and all that jazz by opening accounts with the IB (interactive brokers) – I can see the positions in real time, and when the trade is done I input into the FM.
i do spreads mostly, nothing complicated.

I looked for an option trading software as well – no luck.

hope this help

oh – btw – i use the FM advisor version. not sure if all the features described above are available in other FM versions.