Getting your strikes in quickly and accurately is the most important execution skill for iron condor trading. VixShield's one-click copy feature eliminates fat-fingering — this guide shows you exactly how to use it in ThinkorSwim, tastytrade, and Interactive Brokers.
1 Why Copy/Paste Matters — The Real Cost of Wrong Strikes
"Being able to get your strikes in quickly and accurately is the MOST important skill. I've lost many a trade by entering the wrong strikes. If you don't see the premium we are recommending — then you need to CHECK your strikes again."— Russell Clark, NP & Options Trader | Author, SPX Mastery: Iron Condor Command
Here's a real example of what wrong strikes cost you:
- What VixShield called: 6975/6970 put spread → $0.70 credit
- What was entered: 7070/7065 (95 points off) → $0.10 credit
- Result: The trader risked the same capital but collected 86% less premium — and had none of the VIX-protection characteristics of the original position
If the premium your broker shows doesn't match what RSAi™ called — your strikes are wrong. Don't submit the order. Go back to your VixShield dashboard, re-copy the order, and try again.
2 What You'll See on Your Signal Card
Every signal card on your VixShield dashboard has copy buttons built in. Here's what a sample card looks like:
↑ Sample signal card — your actual strikes and credits come from today's RSAi™ calculation.
3 Step-by-Step: Choose Your Platform
ThinkorSwim — 6-Step Order Entry
🔍 What Each Part Means
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1
Find the Copy Button on Your Signal Card
On your VixShield dashboard, find today's signal card. Select the tier you want to trade — Conservative, Balanced, or Aggressive. Click the "📋 Copy for TOS" button next to that tier. The complete order string is now on your clipboard.
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2
Switch to ThinkorSwim
Open ThinkorSwim (desktop app or web). Navigate to the Trade tab at the top of the platform.
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3
Click Into the Order Entry Bar
At the very top of the Trade tab, there's a text input bar where you can type a symbol or paste an order string. Click into that field to make sure it's focused.
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4
Paste (Ctrl+V on Windows / Cmd+V on Mac)
Press Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac) to paste. TOS will auto-parse the order string and populate all 4 legs of the iron condor automatically — both put spread legs and both call spread legs with the correct strikes.
What you should see: All 4 legs appear in the order staging area — PUT BUY at the lower strike, PUT SELL at the slightly higher strike, CALL SELL at a higher strike, CALL BUY at the highest strike. -
5
⚠️ Verify the Credit Before Submitting — This Step Is Non-Negotiable
Before you hit Confirm and Send, check the estimated credit shown by TOS.
🛡️ Verify ThisIf TOS shows $0.70 and VixShield called $0.70 — you're golden. Hit Confirm and Send.
If the credit is wildly different (like $0.10 when we said $0.70) — STOP. Something's wrong. Check each strike individually against your signal card. -
6
Adjust Quantity (Optional)
The order defaults to 1 contract. If you trade multiple contracts, change the quantity in TOS's order staging area before submitting. Each contract covers $100 multiplier on SPX.
Alternative: Symbol-Based Format (Advanced TOS Users)
Some experienced TOS traders prefer the symbol string format — it's more compact and works with TOS's symbol entry field.
🔍 Symbol String Breakdown
tastytrade — Multi-Leg Order Entry
tastytrade is built for multi-leg strategies. Iron condors are a first-class citizen on this platform — the interface is clean and designed for quick 4-leg entry.
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1
Copy From Your Signal Card
On your VixShield dashboard, click "📋 tastytrade" on the signal card for your chosen tier. The tastytrade-formatted order string copies to your clipboard.
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2
Open tastytrade → Search for SPX
In tastytrade, type SPX in the search bar. Click on SPX to open the options chain.
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3
Select the Expiration Date
In the options chain, click the expiration date matching today's signal (found on your signal card). This opens the full chain for that expiration.
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4
Use the Iron Condor Selector
tastytrade has a dedicated Iron Condor strategy selector in its multi-leg builder. Select it, then manually enter the 4 strikes from your signal card — or use the "Paste Order" function if available in your version.
tastytrade shortcut: Click the strike prices for your put spread (lower two) and call spread (upper two). tastytrade groups them automatically into a single iron condor order. -
5
⚠️ Verify the Credit Shown
Before submitting, check that the credit shown matches your RSAi™ target. If tastytrade shows a credit close to your signal card — great. If it's significantly off, re-check all 4 strikes.
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6
Set Limit Price and Submit
Set your limit to the RSAi™ credit target. Adjust quantity if needed. Click Review Order, verify all 4 legs one final time, then submit.
Interactive Brokers (TWS) — Combo Order Entry
Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation (TWS) calls multi-leg options strategies "Combo Orders." Here's how to build and submit your SPX iron condor.
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1
Copy Your Signal Card Reference
Click "📋 Copy for IBKR" on your signal card. This copies a reference string with all 4 strikes, the expiration, and the target credit. You'll use this as your guide while building the combo in TWS.
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2
Open TWS → New Order → Combo
In TWS, go to New Order → Combo (or use the Strategy Builder under the Options menu). Select Iron Condor from the strategy templates.
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3
Enter the Underlying: SPX
Type SPX as the underlying. Select the Index option (not SPY or SPXW). Confirm the exchange as CBOE.
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4
Add All 4 Legs
For each leg, add: expiration date → option type (Put/Call) → strike → action (Buy/Sell). The 4 legs for a standard VixShield iron condor:
- Buy 1 Put at the lower put strike (put protection)
- Sell 1 Put at the upper put strike (premium collected)
- Sell 1 Call at the lower call strike (premium collected)
- Buy 1 Call at the upper call strike (call protection)
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5
⚠️ Set Limit Price — Net Credit
TWS will show you the natural price (net credit) for the combo. Set your limit to the RSAi™ target from your signal card. If TWS shows a credit wildly different from the target — stop and verify all 4 strikes.
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6
Preview and Submit
Click Preview Order to see the full summary. Verify all legs, the credit, and the quantity. Then click Submit.
4 Troubleshooting — "My Premium Doesn't Match!"
This is the most common issue — and almost always has the same root cause: wrong strikes.
| You See | We Called | Problem | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0.10 | $0.70 | Wrong strikes — likely 90–100+ points off on one or more legs | Verify all 4 legs match the signal card exactly. Re-copy and paste. |
| $0.50 | $0.70 | Close but off — one leg may be $5 off | Double-check put strikes AND call strikes. One leg is probably 5 points wrong. |
| $1.50 | $0.70 | Entered Aggressive tier strikes instead of Balanced (or vice versa) | Check which tier button you copied from. Each tier has different strikes and different premium. |
| $0.00 / No Quotes | $0.70 | Market is closed or SPX not actively quoting | Wait for market hours: 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET. Signals are generated at 3:10 PM CST. |
| Invalid Symbol | $0.70 | Wrong expiration date in the order string | Check that the expiration date in your paste matches today's signal. Don't use yesterday's signal. |
| Negative Credit | $0.70 | Legs entered in wrong order (bought what should be sold) | Re-paste the full string from scratch. Don't manually rearrange legs. |
If the premium your broker shows doesn't match what RSAi™ called — your strikes are wrong. Do not submit the order. Go back to your VixShield dashboard, re-copy the order, and try again. The market is telling you something's off.
5 Paper Trading First — Build the Muscle Memory
Before risking real capital, practice the copy/paste flow in your broker's simulated trading environment. The goal: make entering 4-leg iron condor orders feel like muscle memory.
Practice 5 times with fake money before trading live.
Use paperMoney® — TOS's built-in simulation mode. Log in with your TD Ameritrade/Schwab credentials, then switch the account selector at the top left to "paperMoney." All the same order entry tools work, including paste-from-clipboard.
tastytrade offers a Paper Trading account accessible from your account menu. Switch to it under your profile dropdown. All positions are simulated — your real account is untouched.
IBKR offers a Paper Trading account linked to your live account. Access it through Account Management → Paper Trading. TWS has a dedicated mode toggle for paper vs. live.
6 Frequently Asked Questions
7 Learn More
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