Option Agreement

1. A signed agreement between an investor who is seeking to open an options account and his or her brokerage firm. This agreement is used to verify the investor's level of experience and to ensure that the investor clearly understands the various risks involved when trading options.

2. An agreement between two parties that provides one of the parties with the right but not the obligation to buy, sell or obtain a specific asset at an agreed upon price at some time in the future.

1. This agreement illustrates that the investor understands the rules set forth by the options clearing corporation and that he or she will not be an undue risk to the brokerage firm. An investor is generally required to understand the option disclosure document, which highlights various options terminology, strategies, tax implications and unique risks, before the broker will allow the investor to trade options.

2. A common type of option agreement is found in the real estate market, where one party buys the right to have the first chance of purchasing a piece of property at a specific price at some point in the future. Another common type of option agreement is a written outline that provides the details of an employee's ability to obtain stock options.