News from 2007
November 18, 2007: OptionGrid turns 4 years old this month! The past four years have flown by quickly, and we want to thank all of our customers for making OptionGrid a success. Going forward, our goal is simple: relentless improvement of the OptionGrid platform to provide powerful, affordable tools for investors. Are you just learning about our software? Please download and try our free 14-day OptionGrid trial.
October 15, 2007:
This month, we are releasing the first look at some of OptionGrid's new functionality. Click on the thumbnail links
below to see OptionGrid v3.0 in action. Please enjoy responsibly.
September 19, 2007: A major interface renovation is nearing completion for OptionGrid v3.0. Selecting a grid now displays a series of tabs on the main screen where you can change grid columns, modify the stocks in the grid, and edit your grid data filters. This redesign eliminates the need to tangle with dialog boxes and makes OptionGrid faster and easier to use.
August 17, 2007: The navigation tree on the left side of OptionGrid's main window is the launching point for most of OptionGrid's tools. Starting with OptionGrid v3.0, we are adding new features to the navigation tree, including links to frequently asked questions, technical support, and help topics.
July 10, 2007: Microsoft's new Vista operating system is a welcome upgrade that improves security, reliability, and aesthetics. But as most computer users know, new operating systems often bring new problems. We have verified that OptionGrid v2.5 does run correctly under Vista with one exception: OptionGrid encounters problems if installed under the standard Program Files folder. If you use Vista, we recommend that you install OptionGrid v2.5 in a folder like C:\OptionGrid. We have addressed the problem in OptionGrid v3.0, but for now, please use this workaround when using OptionGrid v2.5 on Vista.
June 12, 2007: Work continues on OptionGrid v3.0. The addition of cash-covered put analysis is a big feature, and there are many more lines of code to write before we release the software. We are including some great new tools and capabilities in OptionGrid v3.0, but we can always use more suggestions from our users. Do you have an idea for a new feature? Please let us know.
May 15, 2007: It is common knowledge in the options investing world that covered calls and cash-covered puts have similar profit/loss graphs. So, it is no surprise that we hear frequent requests to analyze and track cash-covered puts, using the same robust tools that OptionGrid offers for covered calls. Today, we are proud to announce that OptionGrid v3.0 will support full analysis of cash-covered puts, including quote downloads, potential return calculations, and portfolio tracking. This is a major addition to the software, an addition that we feel will add tremendous value to the OptionGrid platform. Keep watching this news page for more updates about OptionGrid v3.0 development.
April 19, 2007: Calculating investment return for short stock and naked short call positions can be problematic. Determining the basis of the investment is not obvious because the amount of risk can fluctuate over the investment's life. Using the position's margin requirement is a good starting point for basis, but what happens if the position moves against you and the margin requirement increases? Because the basis is a moving target, OptionGrid v3.0 will require the user to enter basis for short stock and naked short call positions. The software will provide calculations for standard margin requirements to ease data entry, but the user has full control over this value if the basis needs to change. Is there a better way to handle this problem? Please contact us with your suggestions...
March 20, 2007: Buying stocks that are out of favor is popular with contrarian investors. Likewise, momentum investors seek stocks that are making new highs. OptionGrid has always included 52-week high and low prices to compare against the current stock price. In OptionGrid v3.0, we are including a new data field that calculates the relationship of the current stock price with its 52-week range. The scale runs from 1 to 100: stocks ranked a '1' are at their 52-week low, and stocks ranked a '100' are at their 52-week high. Using this simple ranking, OptionGrid users can easily sort hundreds of stocks to quickly locate contrarian plays or momentum plays. Nice and easy - just the way we like our software to work!
February 12, 2007: For many investors, capturing dividends is an important part of the covered call strategy. In OptionGrid v3.0, we are adding a new data field to record the total amount of collected dividends for each stock position in a portfolio. We also plan to add some interesting tools that will help our users calculate and track their dividends. When we complete this feature, the total return of a covered call portfolio will be calculated, using covered call premiums, capital gains from sale of stock, and stock dividends. Please continue to watch this news page for the latest information about OptionGrid v3.0.
January 10, 2007: Work has officially started on OptionGrid v3.0. Our first priority is to improve OptionGrid's portfolio tracking capabilities by adding support for long calls, long and short puts, and short stocks. The addition of these position types will allow our users to model any type of stock and option combination, including spreads, strangles, straddles, and butterfly-eating condors. Please check back to this news page for the latest information about OptionGrid v3.0. And as always, send us your ideas for features that you would like to see in the next version...
News from 2006
December 15, 2006: Happy holidays to all of our customers and business partners! We have lots of exciting things planned for 2007. Keep watching our website as we continue to make OptionGrid the indispensable tool for all covered call investors.
November 19, 2006: OptionGrid is now three years old! During those three years, we have released six different versions and added dozens of new features to the software. If you are a covered call investor who needs help finding and tracking your covered calls, please download and try our free 14-day OptionGrid trial.
October 11, 2006: In recent weeks, we have been talking to customers to determine which features to add to OptionGrid v3.0. Suggestions include tools to track dividends, quick filters for stock and covered call research grids, support for multiple OptionGrid project files, and various improvements to the user interface. As our longtime users already know, customer suggestions are directly responsible for all of the new features that we add to OptionGrid. Do you have an idea to improve OptionGrid? Let us know!
September 14, 2006: The new version of OptionGrid is generating lots of interest. The quick filters for portfolio grids are quite popular, as evidenced by the sheer number of e-mails we have received. Not content to rest on our keyboards, our attention now turns to the next version. Relentless improvement...is there any other way to build good software?
August 20, 2006: OptionGrid v2.5 is finished and ready to download! There are lots of new features, including tools to subtotal grid data, quick filters for portfolio grids, a project backup feature, new Internet links to download stock price and dividend history, browser buttons to move between recent grids, and font size adjustment for grid data. OptionGrid v2.5 is a free upgrade if you already own OptionGrid v2.0 or v2.1 - just use your current registration code to register the new software. Customers who own OptionGrid v1.0 - v1.6 can upgrade for $99.00. And, new customers can purchase OptionGrid v2.5 for $229.00.
July 15, 2006: The new subtotal feature in OptionGrid v2.5 has produced a great deal of interest from the testers. When subtotaling portfolio data, we initially decided to average the annual returns for a group of portfolio positions. However, many of our testers correctly pointed out that dollar-weighting each position would produce a more accurate annual return on the subtotal and grand total lines. We have implemented this change during the beta cycle, and once again, OptionGrid is a better product because of our fantastic customer input. Everything is still on schedule to release OptionGrid v2.5 in August. Continue to watch this news page for the latest information about our next release.
June 20, 2006: Development for OptionGrid v2.5 is complete, and we have sent the software to a limited number of testers. August is the target release month, barring any unforeseen problems that arise during the test phase. New features in OptionGrid v2.5 include subtotaling tools for grid data, quick filters for portfolio grids, a project backup feature, new Internet links to download stock price and dividend history, browser buttons to move between recent grids, and font size adjustment for grid data. Please let us know if you are interested in testing the new software!
May 15, 2006: One of the last features that we are adding to OptionGrid v2.5 is an Internet connection test. New users often contact technical support because they are unable to download quotes. The usual culprit? Firewalls. When customers run OptionGrid v2.5 for the first time, they will have the ability to test OptionGrid's Internet connection by attempting to download sample stock and option quotes. If any problems are encountered, OptionGrid v2.5 will offer suggestions on how to proceed. The connection test will also be available from the Tools main menu if follow-up testing is necessary.
April 10, 2006: We have added quick filters to the portfolio grids in OptionGrid v2.5, an improvement that offers tremendous speed and flexibility to position management. Do you need to quickly see positions associated with a specific account? Or positions that ended in a certain tax year? How about positions related to a particular stock symbol? Quick filters provide one-click access to your most common queries, using dropdown lists that are docked below every portfolio grid. Check out our latest improvement to OptionGrid v2.5 here.
March 12, 2006: Designing good user interfaces that are simple but powerful is the real challenge of software development. During usability tests, we noticed that new users were often confused when asked to add or remove stocks from OptionGrid. In an effort to solve this interface confusion, we have changed the main toolbar in OptionGrid v2.5 to look like this. The Add button will add stock symbols to research, and the dropdown arrow next to the Add button will allow the addition of portfolio positions. Likewise, the Delete button will delete whatever data is highlighted in the current grid. Other improvements include new Back and Forward buttons, which display recently-viewed grids just like the buttons in a web browser.
February 15, 2006: Progress continues for OptionGrid v2.5. The enhancements to the portfolio position editor are finished, and the new subtotaling tools are also nearing completion. There are still some big features to develop, including better firewall detection for new users and tools to backup OptionGrid data. We are aiming for a summer release, so there are still several months of development ahead of us. And remember: if you buy a copy of OptionGrid v2.1 for $199.00, you can begin using it today, and you will get a free upgrade to OptionGrid v2.5 when it is released!
January 20, 2006: It has been almost five weeks since we released OptionGrid v2.1, and we are already deep into the development of OptionGrid v2.5. New features slated for release include further streamlining of the user interface, numerous improvements to the portfolio position editor, and some powerful new subtotaling tools for our data grids. We also plan to include lots of minor features that have been requested directly by our customers. Now is a great time to purchase OptionGrid v2.1 because you will receive a free upgrade to OptionGrid v2.5 as soon as it is finished. And as always, please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions about OptionGrid. We're here to help!
News from 2005
December 12, 2005: We are now shipping OptionGrid v2.1! Click here to download your copy. OptionGrid v2.1 is a free upgrade if you already own OptionGrid v2.0 - just use your current registration code to register the new software. Customers who own OptionGrid v1.0, v1.5, or v1.6 can upgrade for $75.00. And, new customers can purchase OptionGrid v2.1 for $199.00. Happy holidays to everyone, and don't forget to put copies of OptionGrid under the tree for all those covered call investors that you know!
November 16, 2005: OptionGrid v2.1 is currently in beta testing, and to date, very few problems have been reported. We did add one last-minute feature to OptionGrid v2.1: a new Paste button on the Add to Research window. In past versions, OptionGrid required that multiple stock symbols were separated by commas when adding new stocks to OptionGrid. Now, the user can copy stock symbols from Excel, Word, or other data sources, press the new Paste button, and OptionGrid will automatically add the commas to the symbol list. Although it is a minor enhancement, the new Paste button is a great time-saver and worth noting. OptionGrid v2.1 will be available in December, free to existing customers, and only $199.00 for new users.
October 20, 2005: We have finished the programming for OptionGrid v2.1, and we are distributing a limited number of beta copies. More people will be offered a test copy towards the end of this month. New features include multi-column sorting, stock symbol downloading based on industry, stock symbol downloading from an Internet file, new grid editing tools, improved layout for the portfolio position editor, and enhanced descriptions for all of the data fields in OptionGrid. This version of OptionGrid should be available for commercial release at the beginning of December. Customers who already purchased OptionGrid v2.0 will receive a free upgrade to OptionGrid v2.1. Interested in testing the new version? Drop us an e-mail...
September 15, 2005: Work continues on OptionGrid v2.1, and we anticipate that the beta version will be available in October. This release of OptionGrid will contain numerous small features and enhancements, all of which were directly requested by our existing customers. Again, OptionGrid v2.1 will be a free upgrade to customers who currently own OptionGrid v2.0. Please let us know if you are interested in beta-testing the new software.
August 20, 2005: We have started work on a new version of OptionGrid that will offer a handful of often-requested features, including multi-column sorting and easier selection of stocks from a specific industry. This new version, which we are calling OptionGrid v2.1, will be a free upgrade for our current customers. As always, we want to thank our users who contact us with their ideas and recommendations. We anchor all of our development efforts around customer feedback, and user input is absolutely critical to improving and upgrading the OptionGrid software.
July 8, 2005: Over the past several weeks, we have redesigned our website to showcase the new features and capabilities of OptionGrid v2.0. Rob Johnson, principal at Wilson-Johnson, performed his famous graphical wizardry to give our website a long-overdue facelift. Our attention now turns to the great customer feedback we are receiving about OptionGrid v2.0. Keep watching this news page, as we continue to make OptionGrid the indispensable tool for every covered call investor!
June 5, 2005: After 8 months of development and 3 months of testing, OptionGrid v2.0 was officially released today! Much of our attention will now be spent on marketing the new version of OptionGrid, including press releases, presentations at investor clubs, advertising campaigns, and the relentless pursuit of publicity. Our goal? A copy of OptionGrid v2.0 in the hands of every covered call investor on the planet!
May 20, 2005: The final OptionGrid v2.0 beta was released earlier this month, and everything is on schedule to ship the commercial edition in June. Finishing touches include a new context-sensitive help system and a variety of new predefined grids for organizing research and portfolio data. We want to offer a special thanks to the many people who poked, prodded, and tested our beta software. Also, keep watching this news page for information on the upcoming official release of OptionGrid v2.0.
April 19, 2005: We have now released three successive beta versions of OptionGrid v2.0, and to date, our testers have identified very few problems in the code. As a result, we are now opening our beta test to anyone who is interested in the new version. Just send us an e-mail if you want to install and test the OptionGrid v2.0 beta. Also, don't forget about the free upgrade to OptionGrid v2.0 if you purchase OptionGrid v1.6 between now and June 2005. This is a great way to save $50.00 off the list price of OptionGrid v2.0.
March 16, 2005: Testing continues for OptionGrid v2.0. We rolled out the first beta version to some of our existing customers, and the response has been fantastic. The new portfolio grids, designed to track stock and covered call transactions, are generating a lot of excitement. In other news, we have set pricing for OptionGrid v2.0 at $199.00. Existing users can upgrade to OptionGrid v2.0 for $75.00. And, to anyone purchasing OptionGrid v1.6 between now and June 2005, we are offering a free upgrade to OptionGrid v2.0.
February 12, 2005: After seven months of development, OptionGrid v2.0 is finally complete! We will be testing the software in-house for the next few weeks, and then we plan to release the first beta at the end of February. Depending on the results of the beta testing, OptionGrid v2.0 should be available for commercial release by June. If you are a registered OptionGrid user and you are interested in testing the new version of OptionGrid, please contact us.
January 15, 2005: The end is in sight for OptionGrid v2.0 development. The software has gone through major changes since version 1.6, including a new and streamlined user interface, new portfolio grids for tracking stock and covered call positions, and numerous new features and tools.
News from 2004
December 17, 2004: Happy holidays to all of our customers, friends, and business associates! 2004 was certainly a busy year with a total of two new OptionGrid releases and the development of many new features for covered call investors. We look forward to 2005 and the release of OptionGrid v2.0. Please keep watching this web page for announcements about our next release.
November 5, 2004: OptionGrid is officially one year old! The time has passed quickly, and we are proud of our progress in making OptionGrid an indispensable tool for the covered call investor. Work continues on OptionGrid v2.0 and covered call portfolio tracking. Do you have an idea or suggestion for OptionGrid? We want to hear from you!
October 12, 2004: We have started the development of a new grid to track covered call portfolios in OptionGrid v2.0. This new grid will track call price basis, current market quotes, and potential returns in a unified and customizable grid. Based on the number of requests we have received, covered call portfolio tracking will be a valuable enhancement to the OptionGrid software. Are there specific data fields you would like to see in a covered call portfolio manager? Send us an e-mail.
September 11, 2004: Butler Creek Software recently prepared a press release for OptionGrid v1.6. The press release was sent to over 1000 magazines, newspapers, and financial publications to communicate the capabilities and features of our software. Have you seen OptionGrid mentioned in the news? Drop us an e-mail.
August 11, 2004: Our work continues on OptionGrid v2.0, and the user interface improvements are nearly complete. Our current users will note that we have removed the tabbed interface, consolidated the grids into a tree list on the left side of the screen, and merged multiple toolbars into a single toolbar at the top of the window. Please check back to this news page for future OptionGrid v2.0 development updates.
July 17, 2004: We have started work on OptionGrid v2.0. New features on the development list include user interface improvements and implementation of covered call portfolio tracking. Our number one goal with OptionGrid is to offer a software package that can research, analyze, and track covered call investments. Do you have an idea or suggestion for covered call portfolio tracking? We want to hear from you!
June 24, 2004: OptionGrid v1.6 is now available on the Download page! This is a free upgrade for our existing customers. New features include the calculation of implied volatility and delta for each covered call option. We have also added lots of new data fields, including PEG ratio, put/call ratio, and annualized returns that incorporate dividends. For more information, see our Screen Shots pages.
May 17, 2004: We have finished development for OptionGrid v1.6, and our testers have started the testing process. Please check back to this news page for the final release schedule of OptionGrid v1.6.
April 12, 2004: Butler Creek Software Inc. and investment adviser Harvey Friedentag gave another presentation on covered call investing to the Denver branch of the American Association of Individual Investors. We demonstrated OptionGrid to a packed room of investors as Harvey explained his covered call income tax strategies. Special thanks to Don Cassidy, Program Chair of the Denver chapter of the AAII, for his organization of the event.
March 5, 2004: Development on OptionGrid v1.6 has started, and we are adding lots of new features requested by our users. Please note that OptionGrid v1.6 will be a free upgrade to our current customers. Keep watching this news page for information on our next release. Also, keep sending those comments, questions, and suggestions.
February 17, 2004: As a follow-up to our presentation on February 5th, we demonstrated OptionGrid to the Denver Trading Group Options SIG. We want to thank all the Options SIG club members who attended, and we greatly appreciate the opportunity to talk about our two favorite topics: covered calls and OptionGrid!
February 5, 2004: Butler Creek Software Inc., in association with Denver investment adviser Harvey Friedentag, presented OptionGrid to the Denver Trading Group of Denver, Colorado. The presentation, entitled "A Covered Call Strategy with Income Tax Benefits", used OptionGrid to illustrate covered call investing opportunities in today's low volatility market. We would like to thank Ron Rossway, founder of the Denver Trading Group, for his invitation to speak to his club.
February 1, 2004: OptionGrid v1.5 is now available on the Download page! New features include a tabbed interface to move between grids, covered call quick grids for viewing covered call calculations associated with a single stock, faster updates for stock and option quotes, new data fields like Ex-Dividend date and Dividend Pay Date, and new stock filters like Near 52-Week Low and Near 52-Week High. For more information, see our Screen Shots pages.
January 10, 2004: The final version of OptionGrid v1.5 is complete, and our testers are busy testing! Look for the commercial release of OptionGrid v1.5 to ship in early February. This will be a free upgrade to all customers who purchased OptionGrid v1.0.
News from 2003
December 12, 2003: Butler Creek Software, Inc. would like to wish all of our customers, friends, and business partners a happy and safe holiday season. Please keep sending us your comments, suggestions, and ideas.
November 24, 2003: We are getting some great e-mails and comments about OptionGrid, and we are busy with a new version of OptionGrid that implements many of the suggestions. Stay tuned to this news page for information on the latest release of OptionGrid.
November 5, 2003: After many months of development and testing, the commercial version of OptionGrid v1.0 is complete and ready to download. Special thanks go out to all the people who have tested, critiqued, and ultimately improved the OptionGrid software. Thank you, all, for your time, effort, and energy.
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