Free · Backtested after US costs · US options, ETFs and shares
Free US strategy templates, tested honestly
Every template was backtested and then charged realistic US costs. These are the ones that still worked; the rest are listed on the templates page, with their real numbers.
Featured only if it makes money after realistic US costs, its closed-trade max drawdown stayed within the capital, and its full backtest report (at the engine's default costs) does not show a loss. Ranked by net P&L after costs divided by closed-trade max drawdown; a template needs at least 100 trades to rank on that score.
#1 Weekly put selling · Cash-secured
Free
Every Monday, sell one QQQ put near -0.25 delta on the Friday expiry with the strike value held in cash. Buy it back at 50% of the credit, at 3x, or before expiry.
Survives costs: 116 puts cost $397 (7% of the gross). Closed-trade max drawdown stayed at 1.7% of the cash secured.
- Backtest period
- Jun 2024 – Oct 2026
- Net P&L after costs
- $4,939
- ROI on $75,000 capital
- +6.6%
- Closed-trade max drawdown
- -$1,297 (1.7% of capital)
- Trades
- 116 puts sold
- Costs charged
- $397 on 232 contracts · $5,336 before costs
Capital: The strike value held in cash (up to $74,100).
Interest earned on the cash held to secure the puts is not modelled.
Cost assumptions: SPY/QQQ options: $1.71 per contract per side ($0.65 commission + $1.00 slippage, $0.01 per share, + $0.06 estimated OCC, ORF and FINRA TAF fees). Costs are applied to every fill after the backtest, because the backtest engine cannot model US commissions and exchange fees. The $0.06 per option contract per side for OCC clearing, the options regulatory fee (ORF) and FINRA TAF is an estimate. Not included: the SEC fee and FINRA TAF on share sales, and interest on idle cash.
Hypothetical performance: simulated on historical data, not actual trading, and designed with hindsight; liquidity and fills may differ. No account will necessarily achieve similar results. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full notice on this page.
The full report's own net: $5,312. It differs from this card because the report charges the backtest engine's default costs (slippage of 0.05% of each fill's value, no commission) instead of the US costs above.
#2 Covered call · Shares + weekly calls
Free
Hold 100 SPY shares while the hourly trend is up and sell a 0.20-delta Friday call each Monday. The call is always closed before expiry.
Survives costs, but simply holding 100 SPY shares over the same window made about +$23,700.
- Backtest period
- Jun 2024 – Oct 2026
- Net P&L after costs
- $11,755
- ROI on $80,000 capital
- +14.7%
- Closed-trade max drawdown
- -$6,210 (7.8% of capital)
- Trades
- 249 trades: 73 calls written, 176 share round trips
- Costs charged
- $602 on 146 contracts and 35,200 shares · $12,357 before costs
Capital: 100 SPY shares paid in full at the window's high (about $779), no margin borrowing.
Cost assumptions: SPY options $1.71 per contract per side ($0.65 commission + $1.00 slippage + $0.06 estimated OCC, ORF and FINRA TAF fees); SPY shares no commission, $0.01 per share slippage per side. Costs are applied to every fill after the backtest, because the backtest engine cannot model US commissions and exchange fees. The $0.06 per option contract per side for OCC clearing, the options regulatory fee (ORF) and FINRA TAF is an estimate. Not included: the SEC fee and FINRA TAF on share sales, and interest on idle cash.
Hypothetical performance: simulated on historical data, not actual trading, and designed with hindsight; liquidity and fills may differ. No account will necessarily achieve similar results. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full notice on this page.
The full report's own net: $851. It differs from this card because the report charges the backtest engine's default costs (slippage of 0.05% of each fill's value, no commission) instead of the US costs above.
#3 Weekly short strangle · Undefined risk
Free
Sell a 0.16-delta QQQ strangle 3-4 days before the Friday expiry. Take 50% of the credit, stop at 2x, close the day before expiry.
Survives costs: few trades keep costs at 26% of the gross +$3,389. Closed-trade max drawdown stayed at 12% of the $14,500 capital.
- Backtest period
- Jun 2024 – Oct 2026
- Net P&L after costs
- $2,513
- ROI on $14,500 capital
- +17.3%
- Closed-trade max drawdown
- -$1,733 (12.0% of capital)
- Trades
- 128 strangles
- Costs charged
- $876 on 512 contracts · $3,389 before costs
Capital: Reg-T naked QQQ strangle at 20% less OTM on the larger side + both premiums; max $14,115 (QQQ 753)
Cost assumptions: SPY/QQQ options: $1.71 per contract per side ($0.65 commission + $1.00 slippage, $0.01 per share, + $0.06 estimated OCC, ORF and FINRA TAF fees). Costs are applied to every fill after the backtest, because the backtest engine cannot model US commissions and exchange fees. The $0.06 per option contract per side for OCC clearing, the options regulatory fee (ORF) and FINRA TAF is an estimate. Not included: the SEC fee and FINRA TAF on share sales, and interest on idle cash.
Hypothetical performance: simulated on historical data, not actual trading, and designed with hindsight; liquidity and fills may differ. No account will necessarily achieve similar results. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full notice on this page.
The full report's own net: $3,360. It differs from this card because the report charges the backtest engine's default costs (slippage of 0.05% of each fill's value, no commission) instead of the US costs above.
Hypothetical performance notice. Hypothetical or simulated performance results have certain limitations. Unlike an actual performance record, simulated results do not represent actual trading. Also, since the trades have not been executed, the results may have under- or over-compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated trading programs in general are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Each linked report charges the backtest engine's default costs, not the US costs on these cards; every card prints the report's own net beside its link.
