Writer

When an investor writes — sells — an option, they immediately receive the premium from the buyer. This premium is the writer's maximum possible profit from the position if held to expiration — if the option expires worthless because the underlying stock price at expiration is unfavorable for the buyer, the writer retains the full premium as profit without any further obligation. If the buyer chooses to exercise before or at expiration because the option is in the money, the writer is obligated to perform — to deliver shares at the strike price if a call writer is assigned, or to purchase shares at the strike price if a put writer is assigned.

The assignment process — in which the Options Clearing Corporation selects a writer to fulfill the exercise obligation — is random among all writers of the same class and series of options who maintain short positions. Any writer of an outstanding short call or put position can receive an assignment notice at any time during the life of the option for American-style options — not just at expiration. European-style options can only be exercised at expiration, limiting the writer's assignment risk to that single date.

The Covered Call Writer — The Conservative Strategy

The covered call writer is an investor who simultaneously holds a long position in the underlying stock and writes call options against that stock position — creating a combined holding in which the long stock serves as the cover that satisfies the delivery obligation if the written call is exercised.

When a covered call writer is assigned on an exercise notice, they deliver the shares they already own at the strike price — fulfilling the obligation without needing to purchase shares in the open market. The long stock position completely hedges the delivery risk of the written call, which is why this strategy is called covered — the call is covered by the existing stock holding.

The covered call strategy is the most conservative options writing strategy and is one of the two most commonly used options strategies by retail investors alongside protective puts. A covered call writer's maximum gain equals the premium received plus any appreciation in the stock price up to the strike price — if the stock was purchased at forty-five dollars and a fifty-dollar call is written for three dollars in premium, the maximum gain is eight dollars per share — three dollars premium plus five dollars of stock appreciation from forty-five to fifty. The maximum loss equals the stock purchase price minus the premium received — if the stock falls to zero, the writer loses the full forty-five dollar cost basis minus the three dollar premium received, equalling forty-two dollars per share. The premium received provides a modest downside buffer but does not fundamentally change the risk profile of holding the stock — the primary risk remains the stock's decline.

The covered call strategy produces income — the premium received — at the cost of capping the upside on the stock position at the strike price. If the stock rises dramatically above the strike price the covered call writer participates only up to the strike and then must deliver shares at that price, forgoing the additional appreciation above the strike. This is called the opportunity cost of writing covered calls — the writer accepts a known premium income today in exchange for giving up unlimited upside if the stock appreciates substantially.

Covered calls are permitted in retirement accounts including IRAs and 401(k) plans — because the long stock position covers the delivery obligation, the strategy carries no more risk than simply holding the stock. The premium income feature makes covered call writing particularly attractive to income-oriented investors holding equity positions.

The Covered Put Writer — The Less Common Covered Strategy

A covered put writer holds a short position in the underlying stock and simultaneously writes put options against that short position. If the put is exercised and the writer is assigned, they must purchase shares at the strike price — but since they are already short those shares, the purchase simply closes the short position rather than creating a new long position. The short stock position covers the assignment obligation of the written put.

The covered put strategy is less commonly used than the covered call and is more complex because it requires a margin account for the short stock position. The strategy is appropriate for investors with a neutral to moderately bearish outlook — collecting premium from writing puts while maintaining a short stock position that profits from further price declines below the strike.

The Uncovered Call Writer — The Maximum Risk Position

An uncovered call writer — also called a naked call writer — sells call options without owning the underlying stock. If the buyer exercises the call, the writer must deliver one hundred shares of the underlying stock at the strike price — but since the writer owns no shares, they must purchase the stock at the current market price and immediately sell it at the lower strike price, generating a loss equal to the difference between the market price and the strike price minus the premium received.

The maximum gain for an uncovered call writer equals the premium received — if the stock remains below the strike price at expiration the call expires worthless and the writer retains the full premium.

The maximum loss for an uncovered call writer is theoretically unlimited — because there is no ceiling on how high a stock price can rise, there is no ceiling on how much money the writer must spend to purchase shares in the open market to deliver at the below-market strike price. A writer who sells a fifty-dollar call for three dollars and the stock subsequently rises to one hundred and fifty dollars faces a loss of one hundred dollars per share minus the three dollar premium — ninety-seven dollars per share — if assigned, representing a ninety-seven hundred dollar loss per contract.

This theoretically unlimited loss potential makes the uncovered call the most dangerous single options position available — more dangerous than any long position because even a long stock position's maximum loss is capped at the total amount invested when the stock falls to zero. Uncovered call writing requires the highest level of options account approval under FINRA Rule 2360 — Level Four or the equivalent designation used by specific broker-dealers — and imposes the most stringent margin requirements of any standard options strategy.

Uncovered calls are never permitted in retirement accounts — the unlimited loss potential and margin requirements make them categorically unsuitable for tax-advantaged retirement accounts.

The Uncovered Put Writer — Large But Bounded Loss Potential

An uncovered put writer — also called a naked put writer or cash-secured put writer — sells put options without holding a short position in the underlying stock. If the buyer exercises the put, the writer must purchase one hundred shares of the underlying stock at the strike price regardless of the current market price — and if the stock has declined substantially below the strike price the writer is purchasing shares at significantly above-market cost.

The maximum gain for an uncovered put writer equals the premium received — if the stock remains above the strike price at expiration the put expires worthless and the writer retains the full premium.

The maximum loss for an uncovered put writer equals the strike price minus the premium received multiplied by one hundred — achieved if the stock falls to zero and the writer must purchase worthless shares at the full strike price. Unlike the uncovered call writer's theoretically unlimited loss, the uncovered put writer's maximum loss is bounded — a stock cannot fall below zero, capping the loss at strike price minus premium. For a fifty-dollar put written at three dollars in premium, the maximum loss is forty-seven dollars per share — four thousand seven hundred dollars per contract.

While bounded, this maximum loss is still substantial and the uncovered put is considered a high-risk strategy requiring elevated options account approval. Cash-secured puts — uncovered puts where the writer holds sufficient cash to purchase the full contract value of shares if assigned — are the most common conservative application of uncovered put writing, used by investors who are willing to own the underlying stock at the strike price and are happy to collect premium while waiting for the stock to reach their desired entry level.

The Four Basic Writer Positions — Maximum Gain and Maximum Loss

The examination requires mastery of the maximum gain and maximum loss for all four basic writer positions. The following framework covers each precisely.

The covered call writer — maximum gain equals the premium received plus the difference between the strike price and the stock purchase price if the strike is above the purchase price — maximum loss equals the stock purchase price minus the premium received — breakeven equals the stock purchase price minus the premium received.

The uncovered call writer — maximum gain equals the premium received — maximum loss is theoretically unlimited as the stock price can rise without bound — breakeven equals the strike price plus the premium received.

The covered put writer — maximum gain equals the premium received plus any profit on the short stock position if the stock price at assignment equals the strike price — maximum loss equals the strike price minus the short sale price plus the premium received if the stock rises — complex analysis involving the short stock component.

The uncovered put writer — maximum gain equals the premium received — maximum loss equals the strike price minus the premium received multiplied by one hundred — achieved if the stock falls to zero — breakeven equals the strike price minus the premium received.

Assignment — The Writer's Primary Risk Event

Assignment is the mechanism through which the writer's obligation is activated — the Options Clearing Corporation processes the exercise notice submitted by the option holder and randomly selects a writer of the same option series to fulfill the obligation. The selected writer is said to be assigned.

For an assigned call writer — whether covered or uncovered — the obligation is to deliver one hundred shares of the underlying stock at the strike price. A covered call writer delivers the shares they already own. An uncovered call writer must purchase shares at the current market price and deliver them at the lower strike price, realising the loss.

For an assigned put writer — whether covered or uncovered — the obligation is to purchase one hundred shares of the underlying stock at the strike price. The assigned put writer pays the strike price and receives one hundred shares — regardless of the current market price of those shares.

The assignment risk for American-style options — which includes all exchange-listed equity options — extends throughout the life of the option rather than only at expiration. A deeply in-the-money option is at risk of early exercise at any time because the holder has already obtained substantial intrinsic value and may prefer to take delivery of the stock rather than continue holding the option. Writers of deep in-the-money options must monitor for potential early assignment — particularly when a stock is approaching an ex-dividend date, at which point call holders may exercise early to capture the dividend that would not be received simply by holding the call option.

Options Account Approval Levels — Where Writers Fit

FINRA Rule 2360 and broker-dealer internal policies establish a hierarchy of options account approval levels based on the risk characteristics of the strategies involved. Writers occupy different levels of this hierarchy depending on whether their positions are covered or uncovered.

Covered call writing is typically approved at the lowest options account level — Level One — because the strategy's risk profile is essentially that of holding the underlying stock with premium income added. Most investors with basic investment experience and adequate net worth can be approved for covered call writing.

Cash-secured put writing — uncovered put writing where the investor holds sufficient cash to purchase the assigned shares — is typically approved at Level Two alongside long options purchases.

Uncovered or naked call and put writing without full cash or stock cover is approved only at the highest account levels — Level Four in most broker-dealer frameworks — reflecting the unlimited loss potential of uncovered calls and the substantial bounded loss potential of uncovered puts. The margin requirements for uncovered writing are the most stringent of any standard options strategy, designed to ensure the writer can fulfill the assignment obligation even in adverse market conditions.

Examination Relevance and Key Takeaways

The writer is tested on the Series 7 examination in the context of the two parties to every options contract, the obligations of writers versus the rights of buyers, covered versus uncovered positions, maximum gain and maximum loss for all four basic writing positions, and the assignment process.

The key points to retain are these.

A writer is the seller of an option contract who receives the premium and assumes the obligation to perform if the buyer exercises. The writer's maximum gain on any option position is always the premium received — a fixed known amount collected at sale. The writer profits when the option expires worthless — the buyer does not exercise because the option is out of the money at expiration.

A covered call writer owns the underlying stock and writes calls against it — the stock covers the delivery obligation if assigned. Maximum gain equals the premium received plus any stock appreciation up to the strike price. Maximum loss equals the stock purchase price minus the premium received. Covered calls are permitted in retirement accounts. An uncovered call writer sells calls without owning the underlying stock — maximum gain equals the premium received — maximum loss is theoretically unlimited because the stock price can rise without bound requiring the writer to purchase at market and deliver at the lower strike price. Uncovered calls require the highest options account approval level and are never permitted in retirement accounts.

An uncovered put writer sells puts without holding a short stock position — maximum gain equals the premium received — maximum loss equals the strike price minus the premium received multiplied by one hundred — achieved if the stock falls to zero. The breakeven for any writer equals the strike price plus the premium received for calls and the strike price minus the premium received for puts — the opposite of the buyer's breakeven. Assignment is the mechanism through which the writer's obligation is activated — the OCC randomly selects writers of the same option series to fulfill exercise obligations. American-style options — all exchange-listed equity options — can be assigned at any time during the life of the contract — not only at expiration — with early exercise risk highest for deeply in-the-money options particularly near ex-dividend dates.