BUSINESS TradeWise Advisors, Inc. (“TradeWise”) is a registered investment adviser based in Chicago, Illinois.
TradeWise operated under the name RED Option Advisors, Inc. (“RED Option”) from 2010 until
September 30, 2016. TradeWise (formerly RED Option) started in 2003 as a division of thinkorswim
Advisors, Inc. and a member of the thinkorswim Group, Inc. In 2009, the thinkorswim Group, Inc. was
acquired by TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation. TradeWise is wholly owned by TD Ameritrade Online
Holdings Corporation. TD Ameritrade Online Holdings Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of TD
Ameritrade Holding Corporation, a publicly traded company. Approximately 40% of its common stock
is owned by the Toronto-Dominion Bank.
As used in this brochure, the words “we,” “our” “us” and “TradeWise” refer to TradeWise Advisors,
Inc. and the words “you,” “your,” "participant,” “subscriber," and “client” refer to you as either a client
or prospective client of our firm. In addition, as used in this brochure, the term "Associated Persons"
refers to our officers, employees, and all individuals involved in providing services on behalf of our
firm.
TradeWise is an Internet-based company that provides risk –defined options trading strategies
recommendations to retail investors. The strategies we offer cater to various types of clients ranging
from those who have a basic understanding of options spreads to experienced options traders. We
recommend that you have a working knowledge of both Calendar Spreads and Vertical Spreads
before you subscribe to any of our options trading strategies. The strategies generally involve buying
or selling multiple options contracts on the same underlying securities. For additional information on
Calendar Spreads and Vertical Spreads, see Item 8 below.
Our services are designed to provide you with specific trade recommendations via email that include
detailed trade descriptions and explanations. We offer the following six (6) distinct option strategy-
based newsletters by subscription:
1. Covered Call
2. Collar (Covered Call with Protective Put)
3. Time Spreads
4. Directional
5. Range Bound
6. Volatility
Recommendations vary within each strategy and are limited to advice on equity securities, exchange
traded funds, index funds, and options contracts on equity securities. Any available weekly, monthly, or
quarterly option cycle may be utilized in all of our strategies in order to capture a specific market event
or favorable circumstance as long as all initial trade guidelines are met.
If you subscribe to any one or more of our strategies, you will receive trade recommendations via
email that are specific to each strategy for which you have subscribed. The emails will include trade
specifics and explanations of the dynamics and reasoning behind the recommendation. Email alerts
are sent to you each time we recommend opening, adjusting, or closing a trade. We will send you
approximately two to five trade recommendations per strategy per month, as well as any adjustments
or closing instructions. In the event that we do not see an opportunity that meets our criteria in the
market for a particular period, we will not send new trade recommendations for that period.
Page 5 of 22 TradeWise services are available to U.S. citizens residing in the United States and not generally
available to foreign investors. TradeWise newsletters are not intended for use in Individual Retirement
Accounts (IRAs).
Autotrade Service
Subscribers have the opportunity to have the strategy recommendations automatically executed
through the TD Ameritrade "Autotrade" service, which involves an agreement between you and TD
Ameritrade, Inc. (“TD Ameritrade”), our affiliated broker-dealer. In order to avail of the Autotrade
service you will need to open and maintain a brokerage account with TD Ameritrade, and to subscribe
to one or more of our options strategies. TradeWise recommendations cannot be executed in IRAs
through the Autotrade service. All client transactions initiated through the Autotrade service are
executed through TD Ameritrade. In addition, you must agree to the provisions of the electronic
Autotrade Limited Trading Authorization and Agreement and the SEC Risk Disclosure statement.
We are affiliated with TD Ameritrade through common control and ownership, see Item 10 below
for additional disclosures on this topic. As a TradeWise subscriber using the Autotrade service,
you acknowledge that TradeWise personnel may access TD Ameritrade systems when instructed
by you to edit information related to your Autotrade profile and your selected TradeWise
strategy(ies).
When using TD Ameritrade’s Autotrade service, you must set a specific dollar amount that you would
like to allocate on a per trade basis for the strategy/strategies that you are subscribed to. There are
minimum allocation amounts for each trading strategy. Please see Investment Strategies in Item 8
below. A trade encompasses all the transactions (including trade adjustments and rolling transactions)
for that particular trade for that strategy through the closing of the trade. Thereafter, TD Ameritrade will
automatically execute all new recommendations for each individual strategy to which you subscribe in
your TD Ameritrade brokerage account based on your preselected allocation. Additionally, TD
Ameritrade will execute any subsequent adjustments and closing recommendations in your brokerage
account until you elect to discontinue the service.
As part of the Autotrade service, in an effort to seek best price, TradeWise will verify pricing through
TD Ameritrade systems reflecting the national best bid and offer (NBBO). We will then enter a block
order into a dedicated TradeWise account at TD Ameritrade. After the order is placed, TD
Ameritrade facilitates the processing and filling of the order and then disperses the trade into the TD
Ameritrade accounts of each subscriber in the particular strategy that has elected to participate in
the Autotrade service, per their individually determined Autotrade allocations. The Autotrade
allocation amount you choose in your TD Ameritrade brokerage account is a ceiling and you will not
be included in a trade for an amount above your selected allocation amount. However, due to price
movement, some trades may only get a partial fill and then you may get an allocation less than the
dollar amount you have selected. Furthermore, all clients will generally receive at least one contract
per block order for an order to be filled.
You may cancel or change your Autotrade allocations at any time. If you choose to cancel your
allocations, all existing positions will continue to be adjusted and closed per TradeWise
recommendations. However, no new positions will be placed for you. You have the option to cancel
Autotrade altogether and take control of all your own open positions. If you choose to cancel
Autotrade, you must contact a TradeWise representative.
Market Blog
The Market Blog is a free daily newsletter (Monday to Friday) that provides commentary on market
news, upcoming earnings and industry events. Market Blog is accessible on the TradeWise website at
www.tradewise.com or you can subscribe to receive the Market Blog daily via email.
Page 6 of 22
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COMPENSATION Options Trading Services
As a subscriber of our services, you can choose from six distinct risk-defined options trading
strategies. We are compensated with a subscription fee of $20 per strategy per month. Your credit
card will be charged $20 for each individual strategy that you are subscribed to on the first day of each
month. You will initially be charged a pro-rated amount for the number of the days until the end of the
current month.
If you wish to cancel your subscription, you may do so online by logging into your account or by calling
TradeWise at 877-733-6786. If you submit the request for cancellation before TradeWise sends the first
recommendation for that month, you may request and receive a refund. If you submit the
cancellation/refund request after TradeWise sends the first trade recommendation for that month, we
typically will not refund any portion of that month's fee.
Negotiation of Fees
We reserve the right to negotiate pricing in individual circumstances and provide varying offers to
new and existing clients.
Other Fees and Expenses
TradeWise clients that participate in TD Ameritrade’s Autotrade service will pay separate per-trade
transaction commissions in their TD Ameritrade brokerage account. For additional information on the
Autotrade service, see Item 4 above. TradeWise clients may also place the transactions at the
broker-dealer of their choice and pay the respective commissions charged by their broker-dealer.
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MANAGEMENT
Form ADV Part 2 requires investment advisers such as TradeWise to disclose whether the firm or
any person associated with the firm accepts performance-based fees. Performance –based fees are
fees that are based on a share of capital gains or capital appreciation of a client’s account. This section
is not applicable to our firm because we do not charge performance-based fees.
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CLIENTS
We provide options advisory services for retail investors (individuals, corporations, and other business
entities). The strategies offered by our firm cater to various types of clients ranging from those who
have a basic understanding of options spreads to experienced options traders. In all cases, we
recommend that you have a working knowledge of both Calendar Spreads and Vertical Spreads
before you subscribe to any of our options strategies. See responses below at
Methods of Analysis,
Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss for additional information on Calendar Spreads and Vertical
Spreads.
TradeWise has minimum allocation requirements per trade for participation in each of the investment
strategies as follows:
• Time Spreads and Directional $500 per trade
• Volatility and Range Bound
$1,000 per trade
• Collar and Covered Call $5,000 per trade
The above minimum allocation requirements do not guarantee your participation in every trade in that
particular strategy. Accordingly, you have the opportunity to set your minimum allocation to the level
recommended in the strategy descriptions to make participation in each recommended trade more
likely. See responses below at
Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss for
additional information on our strategy descriptions and recommended allocations.
Page 7 of 22
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Methods of Analysis
Our primary methods of analysis are charting, fundamental, technical, cyclical and probability.
Charting Analysis – involves the gathering and processing of price and volume information for a
particular security. This price and volume information is analyzed using mathematical equations. The
resulting data is then applied to graphing charts, which is used to predict future price movements based
on price patterns and trends.
Risk: Charts may not accurately predict future price movements. Current prices of securities
may not reflect all information about the security and day-to-day changes in market prices of
securities may follow random patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable degree of
accuracy.
Fundamental Analysis – involves analyzing individual companies and their industry groups, such as a
company’s financial statements, details regarding the company’s product line, the experience, and
expertise of the company’s management, and the outlook for the company’s industry. The resulting
data is used to measure the true value of the company’s stock compared to the current market value.
Risk: The risk of fundamental analysis is that information obtained may be incorrect and the
analysis may not provide an accurate estimate of earnings, which may be the basis for a
stock’s value. If securities prices adjust rapidly to new information, utilizing fundamental
analysis may not result in favorable performance.
Technical Analysis – involves studying past price patterns and trends in the financial markets to
predict the direction of both the overall market and specific stocks.
Risk: The risk of market timing based on technical analysis is that charts may not accurately
predict future price movements. Current prices of securities may not reflect all information
known about the security and day-to-day changes in market prices of securities may follow
random patterns and may not be predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Cyclical Analysis – a type of technical analysis that involves evaluating recurring price patterns and
trends. Economic/business cycles may not be predictable and may have many fluctuations between
long- term expansions and contractions.
Risk: The lengths of economic cycles may be difficult to predict with accuracy and therefore
the risk of cyclical analysis is the difficulty in predicting economic trends and consequently
the changing value of securities that would be affected by these changing trends.
Probability Analysis - a proprietary calculation that determines the statistical likelihood of an option
price exceeding, falling between or below upper and lower boundary prices. Probability can be
computed for a certain time frame or a specific point; we use ‘Probability of Expiring’ (specific date)
and ‘Probability of Touching’ (time range) on the TD Ameritrade trading platform. These probabilities
are used in construction of risk-defined option trading strategies. TradeWise looks for favorable
probabilities when initiating recommendations for our subscribers. These probabilities are a result of
many variables in the options of the underlying stock, ETF or Index. They are generally based on
volatility, price and time to expiration and are continually updated as these variables change. We use
these probabilities as a guideline for option positions that are fundamentally positive at the time of
initiation.
Risk: Probability Analysis may not accurately predict future price movements. Current
prices of securities may not reflect all information known about the security and day-to-day
changes in market prices of securities may follow random patterns and may not be
predictable with any reliable degree of accuracy.
Page 8 of 22 In addition we also review specific stocks, indices and ETFs based on a number of criteria, including
for example:
• Significant Liquidity, with high open interest
• Range bound, when the position initiated does not have a bias up or down
• Stochastics, Relative Strength defined as technical and mathematical indicators, to identify
potential continuation or reversing trends
• Low to medium correlation to market movements (beta)
• Low to medium volatility
Investment Strategies
TradeWise offers six (6) distinct investment strategies for individual subscription as described below:
(1) Covered Call
The “Covered Call” strategy as recommended by TradeWise consists of purchasing 100 shares of a
mid to large capitalization stock, ETF or index-based ETF ("underlying") and then selling a call option
on the 100 shares for a credit.
The Covered Call strategy is designed to profit in two different scenarios. Upon selling a call, the credit
received effectively reduces the cost of the trade, thus reducing the overall amount of money risked on
the trade. If the price of the underlying moves above the strike price of the call, the client may be
assigned and the client will be obligated to sell the underlying at the strike price. This may result in a
profit, as the client will keep the profit realized from selling the underlying at a higher price than was
initially paid, as well as the initial credit received for selling the call (less any applicable commissions
and assignment fees).
If the price of the underlying trades in a relatively narrow trading range and stays below the strike price,
the strategy provides an opportunity to roll the call option from month to month (buying back the call and
then selling a further-out month call). That can lead to collecting additional premium each month and
further reducing the amount of money risked on the trade. The client may also have the benefit of
receiving dividend payments on many of the stocks TradeWise recommends for this strategy. Of
course, this is only possible if the client remains in the position and does not get assigned.
The Covered Call strategy may be utilized when an investor believes the underlying will either move up
or remain in a relatively narrow trading range over the life of the call option. There is limited upside
potential for this strategy, up to the strike price of the call. If the stock moves above the strike price of
the call, the client likely will not keep the underlying shares as they will be called away and the client is
obligated to sell the underlying at the strike price as described above. In addition, the strategy does not
provide downside protection beyond the credit received when the call was sold, should the underlying
lose significant value. For Autotrade clients, TradeWise will attempt to close out the trade.
Suggested Allocation
Typically the shares of the underlying purchased will be trading for less than $50 per share. A minimum
of at least $5,000 is required to Autotrade this strategy. There is no assurance that the trade will be
successful.
The length of any specific Covered Call recommendation will typically be a minimum of 30 days with
the possibility of the trade lasting for several months.
Potential Benefits
• You cannot lose more than your allocation (not including commissions charged by your
broker-dealer or dividend risk).
• You have the possibility of receiving dividend payments on underlying stock.
Page 9 of 22 • You also have the possibility to roll the short option(s) to generate additional net premiums.
• Investor education
• The potential loss of up to 100% of the capital you invest in each trade (which can happen if
the price of the underlying stock drops to zero) plus any commissions charged by your
broker-dealer.
• This strategy is capital intensive since you are buying the stock for cash or margin.
• Potential gains will be reduced, or possibly eliminated, by commissions you must pay your
broker-dealer for recommended transactions, which includes commissions incurred for
adjustments or rolling of a position.
• There can be no assurance this strategy will be successful over time.
(2) Collar (Covered Call with Protective Put) Strategy
The “Collar” strategy involves three simultaneous elements:
1. Purchasing 100 shares of a mid to large capitalization stock, which may or may not
be dividend paying, with high liquidity and medium correlation to market movements
(beta); and
2. Selling a call option on those 100 shares, which results in collection of a credit;
and
3. Buying a protective put on those 100 shares that defines the amount of risk in the
overall position and guards against a large downward move in the price of the stock.
(The protective put typically is about 10-20% "out-of-the-money". Having the
protective put in place means that each recommended trade will not result in a 100%
loss and should not result in a loss of more than 20%).
The Collar strategy gives you the opportunity to roll option positions from month to month, thereby
collecting additional premiums against the long stock position and thus reducing the cost and risk of
each trade. This can work to your benefit if it is anticipated that the underlying stock is going to
continue to trade in a relatively narrow range.
Suggested Allocation
A minimum of at least $5,000 is required to Autotrade this strategy. There is no assurance that the
trade will be successful.
The length of any specific trade recommendation in the Covered Call with Protective Put strategy
typically ranges from 20 to 180 days.
Potential Benefits
• You cannot lose more than your allocation (not including commissions charged by your
broker-dealer or dividend risk).
• You have the possibility of receiving dividend payments on underlying stock.
• You also have the possibility of rolling options to generate additional net premiums.
• Investor education.
• The potential loss is up to 20% of the capital you invest in each trade (which can happen if
the price of the underlying stock drops below the “stop” position) plus any commissions
charged by your broker-dealer.
• This strategy is capital intensive since you are buying the stock for cash or margin.
• Potential gains will be reduced or possibly eliminated by the commissions you pay for
the recommended transactions.
• There can be no assurance this strategy will be successful over time.
Page 10 of 22 (3) Time Spread Strategy
The “Time Spread ” strategy involves:
• The simultaneous sale of a shorter term call option and the purchase of a longer term call
option, at the same strike price, in the same underlying, which is known as a “Call Calendar”;
or
• The simultaneous sale of a shorter term put option and the purchase of a longer term put
option, at the same strike price, in the same underlying, which is known as a “Put Calendar”; or
• The simultaneous sale of a shorter term call/put option and the purchase of a longer term
call/put option, at a different strike price, in the same underlying, which is known as a “Diagonal
Spread”.
The underlying investment (“underlying”) can either be an individual mid to large cap company or an
exchange traded fund (ETF) based on the major Indices (e.g. SPY, DIA, IWM) with high liquidity and
medium correlation to market movements (beta).
The structure of a Time Spread will always be short (selling) the shorter term option and long (buying)
the longer term option. The positions that TradeWise recommends can be initiated as either a net debit
or credit depending on the structure. Both the short and long position that is recommended will be
entered simultaneously, so that they are not done as two transactions, known as either a “Calendar
spread or a Diagonal spread.”
When recommending a Time Spread, we generally want to see the underlying trading at or near the
strike price of the option position. As option expiration gets closer, the shorter term option should decay
(lose premium) faster than the longer term option. This would ideally provide the opportunity to buy the
short option back for less than it was sold for and then either sell the long option in the back month to
close the position or possibly collect additional premium by rolling the short strike to an additional expiration
cycle.. We will monitor the recommended trade and will seek to make further recommendations
intended to take advantage of such opportunities and/or suggest when to adjust or close the trade.
Suggested Allocation
A minimum of at least $500 is required to Autotrade this strategy. There is no assurance that an
individual Time Spread trade will be successful.
The length of any specific trade recommendation in the Time Spread strategy typically ranges from 5
to 50 days.
Potential Benefits
• You cannot lose more than your allocation (not including commissions charged by your
broker-dealer or dividend risk).
• Potential gains are possible when the underlying remains in a defined trading range and
credits generated by rolling the options exceed the debit paid at inception.
• Investor education.
• Any large moves to the upside or to the downside may negatively affect this position.
• If the underlying should move too quickly and there is not a chance to roll, you could
potentially lose 100% of your allocation plus any commissions charged by your broker-
dealer.
• Potential gains will be reduced or possibly eliminated by the commissions you pay for
the recommended transactions.
• There can be no assurance this strategy will be successful over time.
Page 11 of 22 (4) Directional Strategy
The “Directional” strategy is a defined-risk setup that looks to take advantage of a market move in one
particular direction. TradeWise can make trade recommendations using either long single options,
long/short vertical call spreads or long/short vertical put spreads in underlying securities (“underlying”)
such as individual stocks, ETFs or Indices with high liquidity and generally with moderate volatility. The
spread is considered a “Vertical” because the options are on the same underlying in the same
expiration month but at different strike prices. The details of each specific trade will be stated in the
trade recommendation email that we send you.
A Call Vertical spread involves simultaneously buying one call option and selling another call option at a
different strike price in the same underlying, in the same expiration month. A Put Vertical spread
involves simultaneously buying a put option and selling another put option, at a different strike price in
the same underlying, in the same expiration month. Generally, we will be recommending, “selling” a
vertical call or put spread, because there is a higher probability that the recommended trade will be
successful.
We will generally recommend selling out-of-the-money Call Verticals or out-of-the-money Put Verticals
but reserve the right to recommend individual calls or puts based on volatility. Upon selling the
Vertical, an initial credit will be collected. There are three out of four market situations where this type
of trade can be successful.
(1) If the underlying is moves sideways for a period of time while seeing a decrease in volatility;
(2) If the underlying moves away from the short strike; or
(3) If the underlying moves towards the short strike, but does not surpass the break-even point
by expiration.
We may also periodically recommend ”Single” long Calls or Puts with a bullish or bearish bias as they
are still considered a risk-defined trade. Selling premium against the original long position at a later date
can be accomplished as long as the position remains risk-defined.
Suggested Allocation
A minimum of at least of $500 is required to Autotrade this strategy. There is no assurance that an
individual Directional trade will be successful.
The length of any specific trade recommendation in the Directional strategy typically ranges from 5 to
50 days.
Potential Benefits
• You cannot lose more than your allocation (not including commissions charged by your
broker-dealer or dividend risk).
• Potential gain on selling Verticals when the underlying remains in a relatively narrow
trading range or on buying Singles/Verticals when the underlying moves in the desired
direction.
• Investor education.
• You could potentially lose 100% of your allocation per trade plus any commissions
charged by your broker-dealer.
• Potential gains will be reduced or possibly eliminated by the commissions you pay your
broker-dealer for the recommended transactions.
• There can be no assurance this strategy will be successful over time.
Page 12 of 22 (5) Range Bound Strategy
The “Range Bound” strategy consists of four possible trade types – “an Iron Condor” a “Double
Calendar,” a “Double Diagonal” or a “Straddle/Strangle Swap.” The underlying securities
(“underlying”) will be highly liquid individual stocks, ETFs and Indexes (e.g. the SPY, IWM, or DIA)
with medium correlation to market movements (beta). The “Range Bound” strategy is the most
complex of the strategies we recommend. Accordingly, it is important to have a clear understanding of
all previous strategies listed in order to comprehend the nature of a 4 legged spread as it involves
simultaneously buying and selling options with more than one strike price, expiration date or
sensitivity to the underlying asset’s price.
An “Iron Condor” is an option strategy involving a single complex option spread. It entails the
simultaneous sale of an out-of-the-money call “vertical” and an out-of-the-money put “vertical,” in the
same month in the same underlying (see the “Directional Spreads” strategy description for additional
information about verticals). A call is out-of-the-money when the price of the underlying is lower than
the option's strike price: a put is out-of-the-money when the price of the underlying is higher than the
put's strike price. When looking for an Iron Condor to recommend, we are seeking a calculated
probability of approximately 70-80% that the short Call Vertical and the short Put Vertical will not
close in the money at options expiration. Only one side of the recommended trade can possibly close
in the money since it is structured by means of a vertical on the upside, and a vertical on the
downside. An Iron Condor is designed to profit when the underlying remains in a reasonably narrow
trading range during the expiration cycle positions that we recommend.
The trade recommendations that we make for an Iron Condor will typically involve collecting a credit
upon initiation of the trade. The goal is to keep the initial credit collected upon initiation, which will
occur if the underlying stays between the short Put Vertical strike price and short Call Vertical strike
price. Depending on market movements and the time remaining to options expiration, we may
recommend adjustments to the trade. In some instances, TradeWise may also recommend
purchasing Iron Condors in an environment of extremely low volatility with the debit amount being the
maximum risk on the trade.
A “Double Calendar” is the purchase of two Calendars, buying a call calendar above the strike price of
the underlying and buying a put calendar below the strike price of the underlying. The Double
Calendars that we recommend will always involve paying a debit upon initiation of the recommended
trades. As the shorter term options that were sold decay and lose value, the idea is that we
recommend you buy those shorter term options back by rolling to subsequent cycles, collecting a
credit, and therefore reducing the amount of risk on the trade. If our recommendations are successful,
upon rolling the two Calendars, you will collect a credit for either a put Calendar roll and/or a call
Calendar roll.
“Double Diagonal” - Unlike the Double Calendar, where the strike prices will be the same in both the
front and back month, in the Double Diagonal the front month strike prices will be different than the
back month strike prices. A Diagonal spread combines a Calendar spread (since the options expire at
different times) and a Vertical spread (since the strike prices are different). A Double Diagonal is simply
two diagonals. When the diagonals are rolled (collecting a credit on each one), the resulting position
will be an Iron Condor. At that point, we will be looking for the same conditions as in the Iron Condor
strategy The biggest difference between the Double Diagonal and the Iron Condor is that the Double
Diagonal requires more buying power because of the make-up of the trade.
A “Straddle / Strangle Swap” is the sale of a shorter term at-the-money call and an at-the-money put,
which is known as a “Straddle.” This is coupled with the purchase of a longer term out-of-the-money
Call and an out-of-the-money put, which is known as a “Strangle.” The call and the put are typically the
same distance away from the price at which the underlying is trading. The goal is to roll the short
strikes for credits.
Page 13 of 22 Suggested Allocation
A minimum allocation of at least $1,000 is required to Autotrade this strategy. There is no assurance
that an individual trade will be successful.
The length of any specific trade recommendation in the “Range Bound” strategy typically ranges from
1 to 50 days.
Potential Benefits
• You cannot lose more than your allocation (not including commissions charged by your
broker- dealer or dividend risk).
• Potential gains are possible when the trade remains in a defined trading range.
• Investor education.
Potential Risks
• Any large moves to the upside or to the downside before we have a chance to recommend
adjustments could potentially result in a loss of 100% of your allocation plus any
commissions charged by your broker-dealer.
• Potential gains will be reduced or possibly eliminated by the commissions you pay your
broker-dealer for the recommended transactions.
• There can be no assurance this strategy will be successful over time.
(6) Volatility Strategy The Volatility Strategy will use a variety of TradeWise Strategies. We aim to take advantage of this
product by offering clients a way to participate in event-driven markets and short-term volatility trading
strategies. Because of the event-driven nature, the Volatility Strategy will allow clients the opportunity
to trade many different option strategies in a short-term time frame in all market sectors.
The Volatility Strategy is most appropriate for experienced option traders. TradeWise clients using this
strategy must be extremely attentive to their positions as changes to underlying prices and days to
expiration will have a larger impact due to the shorter time frame.
We will use any combination of monthly, quarterly or Weekly option cycles when trading the Volatility
Strategy. We generally look for short-term opportunities of approximately 1-60 days. Since we will be
using the various strategies listed in this Form ADV Part 2, please see the strategy descriptions listed
above to review the details of each strategy. We will look for news-based events for directional trades or
high volatility for market-neutral positions. We generally look for high volatility underlyings so that there
is the opportunity to sell short-term options that decay at a very fast pace due to the shorter time frame
to expiration.
We will use the following strategies: buying single options, buying or selling Vertical Spreads, buying
Calendars, buying Diagonals, buying Double Calendars/Diagonals, buying Butterflies* (see description
below) and buying or selling Iron Condors. The strategy implemented by TradeWise on any particular
trade will depend on many variables such as the underlying, beta, volatility, timeline and event. The
same risks will apply to the trade recommendations in the TradeWise Volatility strategy as detailed in
the descriptions of the individual strategies within this Form ADV Part 2. Each trade recommendation
that we make will define the strategy that is being used, as well as outline details on the various
dynamics of the individual trade.
For the underlying, we will recommend options in equities, ETFs and Indices.
*
A butterfly is a 3-legged, complex option strategy, comprised of two verticals. It is the simultaneous
sale of one call vertical spread and the purchase of another call vertical spread, with a common short
strike. Therefore, a butterfly will consist of 4 contracts, but only 3 legs due to the overlapping short
strikes. The same would be true of a put butterfly spread.
Page 14 of 22 Suggested Allocation
A minimum of at least $1,000 is required to Autotrade this strategy. There is no assurance that any
individual recommendation in the Volatility Strategy will be successful. We recommend that clients who
use this strategy have a strong working knowledge of the other TradeWise strategies as described
above.
The frequency of TradeWise trade recommendations in Volatility will be similar to the other TradeWise
strategies. However, the frequency may increase or decrease from time to time, as the
recommendations are more dependent on specific market events such as earnings season.
Potential Benefits • Short-term defined risk in that the client cannot lose more than their allocation (not including
commissions charged by your broker-dealer or dividend risk).
• May appeal to the active trader as these options trade more frequently and for a shorter time
frame than the other options used in different TradeWise strategies.
Potential Risks
• You could potentially lose 100% of your allocation per trade plus any commissions charged by
your broker-dealer.
• Potential gains will be reduced or possibly eliminated by the commissions the client pays for
the recommended transactions.
• Weekly options are often more volatile due to the shorter time to expiration and Weeklys will
lose time value at an accelerated rate compared to monthly options.
• There can be no assurance this strategy will be successful over time.
Related Risk of Loss Common to All Strategies
Options trading involves a high degree of risk and is not suitable for all investors. You should be
prepared to undertake the risks associated with options trading, which may include a total loss of
premium and transaction costs. TradeWise strategies are not intended for use in IRAs, may not be
suitable or appropriate for IRA clients, and should not be relied upon in making the decision to buy or
sell a security, or pursue a particular investment strategy in an IRA.
We do not represent or guarantee that our services, methods of analysis, or investment strategies can
or will predict future results, successfully identify market tops or bottoms, or insulate you from losses
due to market corrections or declines. We cannot, and do not, offer any guarantees or promises that
your financial goals and objectives will be met. Past performance is in no way an indication of future
performance.
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INFORMATION
Form ADV Part 2 requires investment advisers such as TradeWise to disclose any legal or disciplinary
events that are material to a client’s or prospective client’s evaluation of our advisory business and/or
our management. Neither TradeWise nor any of our management persons have been involved in any
events that are material to a client’s or prospective client’s evaluation of TradeWise or the integrity of
its management.
Page 15 of 22
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AFFILIATIONS We are required to disclose any relationship or arrangement that is material to our advisory business
or our clients with certain
related persons.
Related persons are our officers, partners, or directors (or
other persons occupying a similar status or performing similar functions), or employees or any other
person or company who is under common control with our firm.
TradeWise is a subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation ("Corporation"). The Corporation
also owns TD Ameritrade, Inc., a registered broker/dealer. In May 2010, thinkorswim, Inc., a
registered securities broker-dealer merged with TD Ameritrade, Inc. to form a single broker- dealer
operating as TD Ameritrade, Inc. ("TD Ameritrade"). The Autotrade service requires you to open and
maintain a TD Ameritrade brokerage account.TD Ameritrade, Inc. offers the Autotrade service to all
participants in each of our options-based strategies exclusively through a TD Ameritrade brokerage
account. Because we are affiliated with TD Ameritrade through common control and ownership, we
have a financial incentive to enter orders through TD Ameritrade. While we believe that fees charged
by TD Ameritrade are competitive, comparable services may be available through other providers for
higher or lower costs.
Per an intercompany agreement between TradeWise and TD Ameritrade, TD Ameritrade provides
services and support to TradeWise. In addition, TD Ameritrade shares certain employees with
TradeWise necessary to the operation of TradeWise. Accordingly, management persons of TradeWise
are also employees of TD Ameritrade and most management persons are also dually registered as
registered representative of TD Ameritrade. The furnishing of services to TradeWise is undertaken
under TradeWise’s oversight, review, approval, supervision and control. TD Ameritrade does not
provide any investment advice or otherwise perform any function on behalf of TradeWise. TradeWise
maintains all necessary records and information relating to the services it provides to meet its legal and
contractual obligations.
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PERSONAL TRADING
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics expressing our commitment to ethical conduct. Our firm’s Code of
Ethics describes our fiduciary duties and responsibilities to our clients, and sets forth our practice of
supervising the personal securities transactions of supervised persons with access to client information.
Individuals associated with the firm may buy or sell securities for their personal accounts identical to or
different from those recommended to clients. It is our expressed policy that no person employed by our
firm shall prefer his or her own interest to that of an advisory client or make personal investment
decisions based on the investment decisions of advisory clients.
To supervise compliance with our Code of Ethics, we require that anyone associated with our advisory
practice with access to advisory recommendations provide annual securities holdings reports and
quarterly transaction reports to our Chief Compliance Officer or their designee. We require that all
individuals act in accordance with all applicable federal and state regulations governing registered
investment advisory practices. Our Code of Ethics also includes our policy prohibiting the use of
material non-public information. Any individual not in observance of the above and/or our Code of
Ethics may be subject to discipline.
A copy of our Code of Ethics is available to clients or prospective clients upon request.
Participation or Interest in Client Transactions
Neither our firm nor a related person has any material financial interest in client transactions beyond
the provision of services as disclosed in this brochure.
Page 16 of 22 Personal Trading
Subject to our Code of Ethics, as described above, our firm and our Associated Persons are restricted
from purchasing or selling any security (or derivative thereof) which they know, or reasonably should
know, will be recommended in a TradeWise strategy. This restriction prohibits holding recommended
securities (a) in their personal accounts and (b) in accounts as to which they have beneficial
ownership. Beneficial ownership includes:
1. The accounts of a spouse, minor children, other persons living in their household and
non- emancipated adult children (collectively, “family members”),
2. Trusts established for the related person's benefit, family members or any other relative
as to which trusts the related person has sole or shared voting or investment power, and
3. Entities in which the related person or his/her family members have sole voting or
investment power or as to which the related person or his/her family members have
shared voting or investment power and pecuniary interests.
However, the restriction does not apply to securities listed on the S&P 500 and ETFs based on major
indices or other large cap issues with a market capitalization or net assets of $5 billion or more and
reasonable trading volume where a transaction in the security will not likely move the market.
Our employees, including officers and control persons of our firm and all individuals involved in providing
services on behalf of our firm, are permitted to participate in Autotrade. For additional information on our
Autotrade service, see Item 4 above.
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TradeWise subscribers may use the information in the strategy recommendations for option strategy
education or they may decide to execute the trades recommended in their brokerage account. When
the TradeWise strategy recommendations are delivered, TradeWise subscribers have the option to
place the transactions at the broker-dealer of their choice. If a subscriber has a brokerage account at
TD Ameritrade, they can instruct TD Ameritrade to automatically execute the TradeWise trade
recommendations in their TD Ameritrade brokerage account via the Autotrade service. TradeWise
Clients who choose to Autotrade at TD Ameritrade may have an advantage over non-Autotrade clients
since those recommended transactions may be executed in their accounts before non–Autotrade clients
have placed the trades at their respective broker-dealer.
TradeWise is a subsidiary of TD Ameritrade Holding Corporation (“Corporation”). The Corporation also
owns TD Ameritrade, Inc., a registered broker/dealer. The Autotrade service requires our clients to open
and maintain a brokerage account by TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade provides options execution
services and competitive commission rates as well as knowledgeable and responsive support staff.
Commission rates may vary depending on the relationship you have with TD Ameritrade. TD Ameritrade
is a recommended broker since it offers a platform that supports single click complex option spreads
order entry and advanced analytical tools. We believe TD Ameritrade provides competitive functionality,
speed, and execution of orders. Nonetheless, transactions will not always be executed at the lowest
available price or commission. For additional information on our Autotrade service and on opening an
Autotrade account, see Item 4 above.
Research and Other Soft Dollar Benefits
We do not accept or use research or services (“soft dollars”) provided by broker-dealers or other
third party service providers in connection with providing advisory services.
Brokerage for Client Referrals
We do not receive client referrals from any unaffiliated broker-dealer or third party.
Page 17 of 22 Directed Brokerage
When a client chooses to use the Autotrade service to automatically execute TradeWise strategy
recommendations, the client is required to have a TD Ameritrade brokerage account at TradeWise’s
affiliated broker-dealer, TD Ameritrade, Inc. As such, clients may be unable to achieve the most
favorable execution of their transactions and may pay higher brokerage commissions than they might
otherwise pay through another broker-dealer that offers the same types of services and may cost
clients more money. Not all advisers require their clients to direct brokerage.
The ability to Autotrade TradeWise strategy recommendations exclusively at TD Ameritrade
involves a potential conflict of interest. TradeWise has an incentive to encourage you to open a
TD Ameritrade account because of the amount of fees/commissions you pay their affiliated broker,
TD Ameritrade. We believe, however, that the use of TD Ameritrade as a broker to execute
transactions via the Autotrade service is primarily in the best interest of our clients as TD
Ameritrade provides competitive options execution services and commission rates as well as
knowledgeable and responsive support staff as described above. TradeWise will periodically
evaluate the execution, performance and reliability of orders executed by TD Ameritrade to help
ensure quality executions. Nonetheless, it is your sole decision to determine whether you wish to
participate in the Autotrade service and to open a brokerage account with TD Ameritrade.
Trade Aggregation/Allocation of Investments
Through the Autotrade service, we will enter a block order into a dedicated TradeWise account at TD
Ameritrade. After the order is placed, TD Ameritrade facilitates the processing and filling of the order
and then disperses the trade into the TD Ameritrade accounts of the subscribed clients for the particular
strategy based on their individually determined Autotrade allocations. The Autotrade allocation amount
a subscriber chooses at TD Ameritrade is a ceiling and subscribers will not be included in a trade for an
amount above their selected allocation amount. However, due to price movement, some trades may
only get a partial fill and then the Autotrade participant may get an allocation less than the dollar
amount they have selected. Furthermore, all clients will generally receive at least one contract per block
order for an order to be filled.
In the event that the TradeWise block order does not result in at least one contract per client or an error
is made in entering a block order, we will seek to correct the error as soon as possible and in such a
manner that the clients are not disadvantaged and bear no loss. TradeWise monitors the error account
balance. TradeWise is not entitled to retain “net gains” from error account trade corrections. “Net gains”
are defined as positive error account balances resulting from trade corrections. TradeWise will
automatically offset the Advisor Error Account credit balance versus a designated TD Ameritrade error
account each business day. On a quarterly basis, TD Ameritrade will donate any proceeds generated
from the designated TD Ameritrade error account to charity.
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ACCOUNTS
Form ADV Part 2 requires investment advisers such as TradeWise to disclose whether the firm
periodically reviews client accounts and the frequency of reports that are provided to clients. At this
time, we do not review our clients’ accounts nor do we provide them with written reports regarding their
accounts.
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COMPENSATION Form ADV Part 2 requires investment advisers such as TradeWise to disclose any economic benefits
the firm may receive from any third party in connection with providing investment advice to our clients.
The Form also requires investment advisers to disclose all arrangements whereby the investment
adviser compensates, directly or indirectly, any person or firm for client referrals. At this time, we do not
have any information to report that is applicable to this Item.
Page 18 of 22
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CUSTODY For TradeWise clients who participate in the Autotrade service through TD Ameritrade, clients will
receive written account statements from TD Ameritrade at least quarterly detailing the positions and
activity in their TD Ameritrade brokerage account. In addition, clients will receive trade confirmations
for each buy, sell or exchange transaction in their accounts. Clients should carefully review account
statements and trade confirmations for accuracy.
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DISCRETION
If you participate in the Autotrade service, TD Ameritrade will automatically execute all new
recommendations for each individual TradeWise strategy to which you subscribe in your TD
Ameritrade brokerage account. Additionally, TD Ameritrade will execute any subsequent adjustments
and closing recommendations in your brokerage account until you elect to discontinue the service.
Through Autotrade, you must establish a specific allocation amount per trade, and per strategy
(“specific allocation amount”). We will then determine which securities to trade within your pre-defined
allocation limits. TD Ameritrade will execute the transactions per the authority granted by you via your
acceptance and acknowledgment of the provisions of the electronic Autotrade Limited Trading
Authorization and Agreement.
We do not tailor our investment advice to any one individual subscriber’s needs. Instead, we tailor our
investment recommendations and trading decisions based on our strategies’ objectives, as further
described in the
Methods of Analysis, Investment Strategies and Risk of Loss section above.
Therefore, other than your preset specific allocation amount, you will not be able to set restrictions or
impose any limitations on the trading authority you grant to TD Ameritrade under the Autotrade
service. You may cancel or change your Autotrade allocations at any time. If you choose to cancel
your allocations, all existing positions will continue to be adjusted and closed per TradeWise
recommendations. However, no new positions will be placed for you. You have the option to cancel
Autotrade altogether and take control of all your own open positions. If you choose to cancel
Autotrade, you must contact the TD Ameritrade trade desk immediately to remove your Limited
Trading Authorization.
If you do not use TD Ameritrade’s Autotrade service, you can choose to use the TradeWise strategy
recommendations for educational purposes or you can choose to implement the recommendations at
the broker dealer of your choice.
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SECURITIES
We do not vote proxies on behalf of our clients and we do not provide advice regarding proxy-
voting issues. You are responsible for instructing each custodian holding your account assets to
forward all proxy and other shareholder communications to you.
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We do not require or solicit prepayment of fees of more than $1,200 per client, six months or more
in advance. We are well capitalized and do not foresee any financial condition that is reasonably
likely to impair our ability to meet our contractual commitments to you. We have never been the
subject of a bankruptcy petition.
Page 19 of 22
TradeWise Advisors, Inc.
600 W. Chicago Avenue, Suite 100
Chicago, Illinois 60654
Telephone: 877-733-6786
www.tradewise.com December 16, 2019
FORM ADV PART 2B BROCHURE SUPPLEMENT
• Christian Wright
• Thomas J. Neil
• Todd Sweet
This brochure supplement provides information on the personnel listed above and supplements the TradeWise Advisors, Inc. (“TradeWise”) brochure. You should have received a copy of that brochure. Please contact us at 877-733-6786 if you did not receive TradeWise's brochure or if you have any questions about the contents of this supplement.
Additional information about Christian Wright, Thomas J. Neil, Todd Sweet is available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Page 20 of 22 Christian Wright
Operations Manager
Item 2 Educational Background and Business Experience
Year of Birth: 1977
Formal Education after High School:
•
BA, Technical Sales, Weber State University Business Background for the Previous Five Years:
• TradeWise Advisors, Inc. (formerly known as RED Option Advisors, Inc.), Operations Manager
05/2011- Present
Certifications:
• Series 7—General Securities Representative Examination, 04/14/2008
• Series 63—Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, 05/16/2008
• Series 24—General Securities Principal Examination, 09/01/2010
• Series 66—Uniform Combined State Law Examination, 01/20/2011
• SIE--Securities Industry Essentials Examination, 10/2018
Item 3 Disciplinary Information
TradeWise is required to disclose all material facts regarding any legal or disciplinary events that would
materially impact a client‘s evaluation of Christian Wright. No events have occurred that are applicable to
this item.
Item 4 Other Business Activities
TradeWise is required to disclose any outside business activities or occupation for compensation that
could potentially create a conflict of interest with clients. Christian Wright is currently not actively engaged
in any outside business activity or occupation.
Item 5 Additional Compensation
Mr. Wright receives compensation solely from TD Ameritrade arising from his responsibilities to TradeWise
and from no other source.
Item 6 Supervision
TradeWise has established and maintains policies and procedures reasonably designed to comply with the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, including supervision of its associates activities. Mr. Brad Nave, Vice
President of TradeWise is responsible for supervising the activities of Mr. Wright and may be reached at 877-
733-6786.
Page 21 of 22 Thomas J. Neil
TradeWise Strategist
Item 2 Educational Background and Business Experience
Year of Birth: 1966
Formal Education after High School:
• BA Marketing, Florida Atlantic University
Business Background for the Previous Five Years:
• TradeWise Advisors Inc. (formerly known as RED Option Advisors, Inc.), Senior Specialist,
06/2015-Present
• TD Ameritrade Inc., Senior Trade Desk Specialist, 2014-2015
• Ronin Capital LLC, Commodities Options Trader, 2012-2013
Certifications:
• Series 7—General Securities Representative Examination, 10/30/2014
• Series 63—Uniform Securities Agent State Law Examination, 12/03/2014
• Series 3—National Commodity Futures Examination, 03/27/2015
• Series 66—Uniform Combined State Law Examination, 07/15/2015
• SIE—Securities Industry Essentials Examination, 10/2018
Item 3 Disciplinary Information
TradeWise is required to disclose all material facts regarding any legal or disciplinary events that would
materially impact a client‘s evaluation of Thomas Neil. No events have occurred that are applicable to this
item.
Item 4 Other Business Activities
TradeWise is required to disclose any outside business activities or occupation for compensation that
could potentially create a conflict of interest with clients. Thomas Neil is currently not actively engaged in
any outside business activity or occupation.
Item 5 Additional Compensation
Mr. Neil receives compensation solely from TD Ameritrade arising from his responsibilities to TradeWise
and from no other source.
Item 6 Supervision
TradeWise has established and maintains policies and procedures reasonably designed to comply with the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, including supervision of its associates activities. Mr. Christian Wright,
Operations Manager of TradeWise is responsible for supervising the activities of Mr. Neil and may be reached
at 877-733-6786.
Page 22 of 22 Todd Sweet
Senior Trade Specialist
Item 2 Educational Background and Business Experience
Year of Birth: 1965
Formal Education after High School:
•
MBA, Michigan State University
•
BS, Central Michigan University Business Background for the Previous Five Years:
• TradeWise Advisors, Inc., Senior Specialist, 08/2018-Present
• Chicago Sport and Social Club, Sports Official 08/2006 to Present
• TD Ameritrade Institutional, Thinkpipes Desk, Senior Trade Specialist, 06/2016 to 08/2018
• TD Ameritrade, Think or Swim Desk Senior Specialist 04/2015 to 06/2016
• TCFG Wealth Management, Vice President of Trading Operations, 03/2013 to 03/2015
• BOSS Officials, Sports Official, 04/2011 to 03/2015
Certifications:
• Series 3—National Commodity Futures Examination, 09/2015
• Series 7—General Securities Representative Examination, 06/2014
• Series 34—Retail Off-Exchange FOREX Examination, 04/2016
• Series 66—Uniform Combined State Law Examination, 09/2014
• SIE—Securities Industry Essentials Examination, 10/2018
Item 3 Disciplinary Information
TradeWise is required to disclose all material facts regarding any legal or disciplinary events that would
materially impact a client‘s evaluation of Todd Sweet. No events have occurred that are applicable to this
item.
Item 4 Other Business Activities
TradeWise is required to disclose any outside business activities or occupation for compensation that
could potentially create a conflict of interest with clients. Todd Sweet is currently a sports official, which
does not create any conflict with clients.
Item 5 Additional Compensation
Mr. Sweet receives compensation solely from TD Ameritrade arising from his responsibilities to TradeWise
and from no other source.
Item 6 Supervision
TradeWise has established and maintains policies and procedures reasonably designed to comply with the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940, including supervision of its associates activities. Mr. TJ Neil, Trading
Strategist of TradeWise is responsible for supervising the activities of Mr. Sweet and may be reached at 877-
733-6786.
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Open Brochure from SEC website