We're excited to welcome you to
Next-Gen Options Strategies:
SPX Box Spreads, Autocallables & the Rise of AI in Option Overlays
Thursday, November 19, 2026
11:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Cboe Chicago Office
433 W Van Buren
Chicago, IL 60607
Preliminary Agenda at a Glance
(Agenda subject to change)
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Registration & Networking Lunch
11:30 – 11:40 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
11:40 AM – 12:10 PM
Intro. to Autocallables: An Alternative Income Strategy
Parth Shah, CFA: FRM, Director, Derivative Indices, S&P Dow Jones Indices
12:10 – 1:10 PM
SPX Box Spreads Synthetic Borrow/Lending
Fred Sloneker: Deputy CIO & Chief Quantitative Strategist, SpiderRock Advisors / BlackRock
Colt Wolfram: Portfolio Manager, Director, SpiderRock Advisors/BlackRock
1:10 – 1:20 PM
Break
1:20 – 1:50 PM
AI Tool Demo: Enhanced Income & Hedging Strategies
Victor Viner: Founder & CEO, Volworks
1:50 – 2:30 PM
FA Fireside Chat: Business Case for Options-based Strategies
Moderator - Victor Viner: Founder & CEO, Volworks
James (Louie) Humphries: Managing Partner, Mindset Wealth Management
Bryan Sapp, CFA: Portfolio Manager, Exceed Investments
Mike Snyder: Director of Trading, Zega Investments
Jonathan Masse, CFA: Chief Investment Officer, Theta Management
2:30 PM
Closing Remarks
2:45 – 3:30 PM
Cboe Bell Ringing Ceremony
3:45 – 5:30 PM
Cocktail Hour & Networking at Seville
Featured Speakers
Parth Shah, CFA
FRM, Director, Derivative Indices,S&P Dow Jones Indices
Parth Shah is Director, Derivative Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI). In his role, he is primarily responsible for the product management of multi-asset and option indices, which cover a variety of outcome-oriented index solutions including risk control, retirement, dynamic allocation, inflation hedging and sustainability. Parth works closely with the client coverage, marketing and research & design departments to bring new ideas to market and support their commercial success.
Prior to joining S&P DJI, Parth worked at Cboe Global Markets in their Multi Asset Product department. His first role involved Quantitative Research and Product Development focused on the development of volatility and correlation derivative products and indices. In addition, Parth worked on developing option strategy indices leveraging volatility and dynamic signals.
Parth has a master’s degree in finance from MIT and a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is also a CFA and FRM charterholder.
Prior to joining S&P DJI, Parth worked at Cboe Global Markets in their Multi Asset Product department. His first role involved Quantitative Research and Product Development focused on the development of volatility and correlation derivative products and indices. In addition, Parth worked on developing option strategy indices leveraging volatility and dynamic signals.
Parth has a master’s degree in finance from MIT and a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is also a CFA and FRM charterholder.
Fred Sloneker
Deputy CIO & Chief Quantitative StrategistSpiderRock Advisors / BlackRock
Fred Sloneker is Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Chief Quantitative Strategist at SpiderRock Advisors (SRA), a BlackRock company providing customized option overlay strategies for financial advisors and institutions. He leads SRA's quantitative research and the automation of its scalable derivatives trading, and oversees the design and management of its option overlay strategies.
Fred joined SRA in 2019 and, over a career spanning more than 30 years, has developed, implemented, and managed derivatives strategies across hedge funds, separately managed accounts, RIAs, and a bank trading desk. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Fred joined SRA in 2019 and, over a career spanning more than 30 years, has developed, implemented, and managed derivatives strategies across hedge funds, separately managed accounts, RIAs, and a bank trading desk. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Colt Wolfram
Portfolio Manager, DirectorSpiderRock Advisors / BlackRock
Colt is a Portfolio Manager at SpiderRock Advisors. SRA, which was acquired by BlackRock in May 2024, provides customized derivatives strategies and solutions across BlackRock’s client segments. Colt joined in 2025 following a decade at Parametric, a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Investment Management. He brings extensive experience designing and managing cross-asset derivatives strategies for institutional investors, with a focus on portfolio construction, risk management, and customized investment solutions.
Previously, he served as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas, where he taught undergraduate derivatives. He holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota Duluth and is a CFA charterholder.
Previously, he served as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas, where he taught undergraduate derivatives. He holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota Duluth and is a CFA charterholder.
Victor Viner
Founder & CEOVolworks
Victor Viner is the Founder and CEO of Volworks, an AI-powered options intelligence platform serving financial advisors and investors. A former CBOE options trader with more than three decades of experience, Victor co-founded Volaris Advisors, a multibillion-dollar options asset management firm acquired by Credit Suisse in 2003. He subsequently served as a Managing Director at Credit Suisse and founded V2 Capital, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm specializing in equity derivatives and volatility strategies.
Having overseen billions of dollars in options-based investment programs, Victor now focuses on bringing institutional options expertise and AI-driven technology to financial advisors and investors.
Having overseen billions of dollars in options-based investment programs, Victor now focuses on bringing institutional options expertise and AI-driven technology to financial advisors and investors.
James (Louie) Humphries
Managing PartnerMindset Wealth Management
With over 15 years in finance—spanning roles from the largest custodian on the street to founding his own firm—James “Louie” Humphries is the Managing Partner at Mindset Wealth Management, an RIA overseeing more than half a billion in AUM. His career is driven by a deep commitment to optimizing client outcomes, with the past decade focused heavily on trading and managing derivative, equity, and fixed income portfolios.
Louie leads Mindset's "derivatives-first" SMA approach, utilizing approachable derivative structures to solve complex portfolio challenges like income generation, alternative lending structures and tax-neutralization of highly appreciated or concentrated positions. While he constantly scans the market for broad opportunities, his best work remains one-on-one—partnering directly with clients and advisors to cut to the root of a problem and translate institutional-grade derivatives into a clear, navigable roadmap for retail investors.
Louie leads Mindset's "derivatives-first" SMA approach, utilizing approachable derivative structures to solve complex portfolio challenges like income generation, alternative lending structures and tax-neutralization of highly appreciated or concentrated positions. While he constantly scans the market for broad opportunities, his best work remains one-on-one—partnering directly with clients and advisors to cut to the root of a problem and translate institutional-grade derivatives into a clear, navigable roadmap for retail investors.
Bryan Sapp, CFA
Portfolio ManagerExceed Investments
Bryan Sapp is a Portfolio Manager and Principal at Exceed Investments, where his work spans tax-efficient option overlays, hedging for concentrated stock positions, and box spread financing for advisors and their clients.
He built Exceed’s tactical options strategies, along with the in-house trading and research technology behind them and is exploring how AI can improve investment research. He has 16 years of professional options experience and is a CFA Charterholder.
He built Exceed’s tactical options strategies, along with the in-house trading and research technology behind them and is exploring how AI can improve investment research. He has 16 years of professional options experience and is a CFA Charterholder.
Mike Snyder
Director of TradingZEGA Investments
Mike brings a combination of options investment expertise, institutional trading experience, and technology-driven portfolio oversight to his role as Director of Trading at ZEGA Investments. With more than 15 years of experience in financial markets, he plays a central role in the execution, implementation, and ongoing management of the firm's investment strategies.
Mike leads the firm's trading operations, overseeing execution across its investment strategies through relationships with institutional trading desks, algorithmic trading solutions, and advanced execution technologies. Beyond trading, he is actively involved in ongoing portfolio and strategy decisions, as well as the research, development, and refinement of investment approaches. His expertise in options strategies, trading infrastructure, and operational execution has been instrumental in supporting ZEGA's growth and expanding the scale and capabilities of its concentrated stock management programs.
Prior to joining ZEGA, Mike spent a decade building an options overlay group, where he played a pivotal role in expanding the firm's options investment capabilities. His work focused on developing and implementing sophisticated options strategies, particularly solutions for concentrated stock positions, income generation, and portfolio hedging. He also helped establish the infrastructure, investment processes, and trading capabilities needed to scale the options platform and serve a growing client base.
Mike resides in the Chicago area with his wife and two young sons. Outside the office, he enjoys spending time with his family, attending sporting events, and playing tennis.
Mike leads the firm's trading operations, overseeing execution across its investment strategies through relationships with institutional trading desks, algorithmic trading solutions, and advanced execution technologies. Beyond trading, he is actively involved in ongoing portfolio and strategy decisions, as well as the research, development, and refinement of investment approaches. His expertise in options strategies, trading infrastructure, and operational execution has been instrumental in supporting ZEGA's growth and expanding the scale and capabilities of its concentrated stock management programs.
Prior to joining ZEGA, Mike spent a decade building an options overlay group, where he played a pivotal role in expanding the firm's options investment capabilities. His work focused on developing and implementing sophisticated options strategies, particularly solutions for concentrated stock positions, income generation, and portfolio hedging. He also helped establish the infrastructure, investment processes, and trading capabilities needed to scale the options platform and serve a growing client base.
Mike resides in the Chicago area with his wife and two young sons. Outside the office, he enjoys spending time with his family, attending sporting events, and playing tennis.
Jonathan Masse, CFA
Chief Investment OfficerTheta Management
Jonathan Masse, CFA®, is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and wealth advisor at Theta Management, bringing more than 30 years of experience to his role. He has a passion to empower clients with proven financial strategies to accomplish their unique goals and help them “level up” and rise to the challenges ahead.
He began his first seven years of his career cutting his teeth on the trading floors of both the Chicago and Pacific Exchanges. His first role off-the-floor was for Barclays Global Investors where he was there for the initial launch of the iShares brand, serving his first two years on the Capital Markets team, before spending five years managing interntional portfolios for BGI's Institutional Portfolio Management team. In 2007, Masse began an eight-year emerging markets project with Burton Malkiel, Princeton University professor and author of the classic, “A Random Walk Down Wall Street.” In 2015, Masse consulted on three projects with firms producing six of ETF.com’s “15 Most Important ETFs" before pivoting in 2017 into the RIA realm (Registered Investment Advisory). In the fall of 2026, he joined his colleagues at Treasury West and its parent Penserra Wealth (RIA), where he started Theta Management to build a wealth advisory practice to focus on 1. Custom Indexing (lower taxes), 2. Options Overlays (less volatility), and 3. Box Spread Loans (reduced borrow cost).
Jonathan has also contributed to community and pro-bono work throughout his career. He has coached 35+ seasons for youth sports teams, serves as an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, and helps the Cancer Support Community run their annual pickleball fundraiser. He teaches CFA Exam Review courses and volunteers for the CFA-SF Continuing Education committee, while also mentoring five finance professionals in the CFA Mentoring program. In addtion, he is a longtime Toastmasters member and encourages his students the importance of public speaking. As a "side hobby", he teaches Financial Derivatives for UC Berkeley and the Rice Online MBA Program.
Masse holds a degree in finance from Boston College, an MBA from Santa Clara University, and is a CFA Charterholder (Chartered Financial Analyst).
He began his first seven years of his career cutting his teeth on the trading floors of both the Chicago and Pacific Exchanges. His first role off-the-floor was for Barclays Global Investors where he was there for the initial launch of the iShares brand, serving his first two years on the Capital Markets team, before spending five years managing interntional portfolios for BGI's Institutional Portfolio Management team. In 2007, Masse began an eight-year emerging markets project with Burton Malkiel, Princeton University professor and author of the classic, “A Random Walk Down Wall Street.” In 2015, Masse consulted on three projects with firms producing six of ETF.com’s “15 Most Important ETFs" before pivoting in 2017 into the RIA realm (Registered Investment Advisory). In the fall of 2026, he joined his colleagues at Treasury West and its parent Penserra Wealth (RIA), where he started Theta Management to build a wealth advisory practice to focus on 1. Custom Indexing (lower taxes), 2. Options Overlays (less volatility), and 3. Box Spread Loans (reduced borrow cost).
Jonathan has also contributed to community and pro-bono work throughout his career. He has coached 35+ seasons for youth sports teams, serves as an assistant scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, and helps the Cancer Support Community run their annual pickleball fundraiser. He teaches CFA Exam Review courses and volunteers for the CFA-SF Continuing Education committee, while also mentoring five finance professionals in the CFA Mentoring program. In addtion, he is a longtime Toastmasters member and encourages his students the importance of public speaking. As a "side hobby", he teaches Financial Derivatives for UC Berkeley and the Rice Online MBA Program.
Masse holds a degree in finance from Boston College, an MBA from Santa Clara University, and is a CFA Charterholder (Chartered Financial Analyst).
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