Ryan Hildreth Review (2026) – Legit Options Trading?

Ryan Hildreth has reinvented himself more times than most people change careers.

Former Bitconnect promoter. SMMA guru. YouTube automation coach. And now? Options trading educator.

His latest venture, Options Trading University, positions him as a disciplined, conservative options trader teaching busy professionals how to generate monthly income through strategies like covered calls and cash-secured puts. The YouTube channel — Options With Ryan — has grown to over 70,000 subscribers, and the program reportedly has 700+ active members.

On the surface, it’s a serious step up from his earlier ventures. The strategies are real, the content is more grounded, and the tone has shifted from flashy lifestyle marketing to talk of risk management and consistency.

But when someone has a track record that includes promoting one of crypto’s most notorious Ponzi schemes, you don’t get the luxury of a blank slate. You have to earn trust back and the question is whether Ryan has actually done that.

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Who Is Ryan Hildreth?

Ryan Hildreth grew up in Orange County, California, and studied finance at Cal State Fullerton. He started in traditional finance before pivoting to the online business world around 2016. Since then, he’s moved through multiple industries, each time building courses and coaching programs around whatever model he was pursuing at the time.

Here’s the timeline:

Year	Venture	What Happened
2016	SMMA (Social Media Marketing Agency)	Enrolled in Tai Lopez’s SMMA course, then launched his own agency and began teaching others
2017	Affiliate Marketing Masters	Collaborated with Tanner Fox on a joint affiliate marketing course
2017-2018	Bitconnect Promotion	Promoted the Bitconnect lending platform to his YouTube audience before it was exposed as a Ponzi scheme
2018-2023	Cashflow Channels (YouTube Automation)	Built and taught faceless YouTube channel creation, claiming five-figure monthly income
2020-Present	Options Trading	Started trading options, lost a six-figure account in the 2020 crash, rebuilt with conservative strategies
2024-Present	Options Trading University	Launched his current flagship program and “Options With Ryan” YouTube channel

That’s six major pivots in roughly eight years. Each one came with a new course, a new sales funnel, and a new promise.

To be fair, pivoting isn’t inherently bad. Plenty of successful entrepreneurs evolve over time. But when each pivot comes with a new high-ticket educational product aimed at beginners, you start to wonder whether the real business model is the teaching, not the doing.

The Bitconnect Problem (And Why It Still Matters)

Let’s get this out of the way because it’s the first thing that comes up when you search Ryan’s name — and it should be.

Bitconnect was a cryptocurrency lending platform that promised investors guaranteed daily returns, sometimes up to 1% per day. It operated from 2016 to early 2018 before being shut down by regulators in multiple U.S. states. It was a textbook Ponzi scheme that wiped out billions in investor funds.

Ryan Hildreth actively promoted Bitconnect to his YouTube audience during this period. He was named in related legal proceedings, though he wasn’t among the core promoters who faced criminal charges.

After the collapse, Ryan distanced himself but never fully addressed the damage done to viewers who invested based on his recommendation. On Quora, Reddit, and in YouTube comments, former followers have expressed frustration about this for years.

Does it mean everything he does going forward is automatically a scam? No. But it does establish a pattern that matters: Ryan promoted something he either didn’t understand or didn’t care to verify, and real people lost real money because of it.

When evaluating his current venture, that context shouldn’t be ignored.

The Cashflow Channels Era

After Bitconnect, Ryan pivoted to YouTube automation through his Cashflow Channels course. The pitch: build faceless YouTube channels, outsource content creation to freelancers, and collect ad revenue while barely working.

The business model itself is real — faceless channels do exist and some do make money. But Cashflow Channels had several issues that drew consistent criticism.

Pricing was hidden behind a sales call funnel. Based on student reports, costs ranged from $997 to over $10,000 depending on the coaching package. There was no publicly available refund policy. At least one former student reported being threatened with legal action over a chargeback dispute.

Independent success stories were hard to find. The testimonials that existed outside Ryan’s own platforms typically described modest results, not the six-figure income implied in his marketing.

Several reviewers also flagged that Ryan’s YouTube content included suggestions to repost other creators’ TikTok content on YouTube — a practice that’s ethically questionable at best and potentially violates copyright.

Cashflow Channels appears to be largely inactive now as Ryan has shifted fully to options trading education.

What Is Options Trading University?

Options Trading University is Ryan’s current flagship program. Launched in 2024, it’s a mastermind-style coaching program focused on conservative options income strategies.

The core premise: instead of speculative day trading or chasing volatile plays, Ryan teaches selling options on established companies to generate predictable monthly cash flow. Think income generation, not gambling on market direction.

Here’s what the program covers based on available information:

Core Strategies Taught:

• Cash-secured puts — selling put options on stocks you’d be willing to own, collecting premium as income
• Covered calls — selling call options on stocks you already hold, generating additional income on top of dividends
• The wheel strategy — a combination of the above two approaches, cycling between them
• LEAPS — long-term options contracts used for more leveraged positions

Program Structure:

• 1-on-1 coaching with Ryan Hildreth
• Access to a private Discord community for live trade discussion
• Course recordings on Teachable
• Beehiiv newsletter with regular market analysis
• Emphasis on risk management and position sizing

Claimed Results:

Ryan states his personal portfolio has averaged approximately 45% annualized growth since 2020, using these conservative strategies. He targets 3-5% monthly returns for himself and his students.

Membership:

Options Trading University reportedly crossed 700 active members as of early 2026, according to a press release distributed through ACCESS Newswire.

What Ryan Gets Right With Options Trading

I want to be fair here because this is where Ryan’s current direction diverges meaningfully from his earlier ventures.

The strategies are legitimate. Covered calls and cash-secured puts aren’t exotic or high-risk. They’re among the most commonly recommended income strategies in the options world. Warren Buffett has publicly discussed using similar approaches. These strategies genuinely work for generating income if executed with discipline.

The tone has shifted. Compared to the flashy lifestyle marketing of his SMMA and YouTube automation days, Ryan’s options content is noticeably more grounded. He talks about risk management, position sizing, and consistency rather than promising overnight riches. Whether that reflects genuine growth or better marketing, the messaging is an improvement.

He’s consistent with content. The Options With Ryan YouTube channel publishes regularly, and the Beehiiv newsletter goes out multiple times per week. Over 70,000 YouTube subscribers suggest there’s an audience finding value in the free content, at minimum.

He’s transparent about his 2020 loss. Ryan openly discusses losing a six-figure account during the 2020 market crash. That kind of admission is relatively rare among trading educators, and it adds credibility to the narrative that he rebuilt his approach around more conservative principles.

The community seems active. With 700+ reported members and an active Discord, Options Trading University appears to have a functioning community, not just a course people buy and forget about.

Where the Concerns Remain

That said, several issues from Ryan’s past ventures haven’t gone away with the new branding.

Pricing is still hidden. Options Trading University doesn’t list its cost anywhere publicly. You need to apply and get on a call with the sales team before learning what you’ll pay. Given Ryan’s history with high-ticket upsells, this remains a red flag. Legitimate programs with nothing to hide typically publish their pricing.

The account manipulation allegations. This is the most serious current concern. David Jaffee at BestStockStrategy published a detailed analysis in late 2025 alleging that Ryan manipulates his brokerage account balances — depositing and withdrawing funds to create the appearance of profitable trading when his actual positions were showing losses. Another finance YouTuber, Invest with Henry, corroborated some of these claims and alleged that Ryan was actually a former student of his who copied his content and strategies.

These are allegations, not proven facts. But when multiple independent parties raise the same concern and provide specific evidence, it warrants serious attention from anyone considering paying for Ryan’s education.

The strategies aren’t proprietary. Covered calls, cash-secured puts, and the wheel strategy are among the most widely taught options concepts in existence. You can learn them for free from dozens of YouTube channels, books, and online resources. The question is whether Ryan’s specific coaching and community add enough value to justify whatever the hidden price tag turns out to be.

The high-pressure sales process. Multiple reports describe aggressive upselling tactics from Ryan’s sales team, including emotional manipulation and pressure to commit on the call. This pattern has followed Ryan across multiple ventures.

The press releases. Ryan has published several paid press releases through ACCESS Newswire that appear on Yahoo Finance and other outlets. These are paid placements, not editorial coverage, but they’re designed to create the impression of independent media validation. The Reuters mention in one article also appears to reference a paid press release, not independent Reuters reporting.

The “45% Annual Returns” Claim

Ryan claims his personal portfolio has averaged roughly 45% annualized growth since 2020. Let’s put that in context.

The S&P 500 returned approximately 24% in 2023 and 25% in 2024. During strong bull markets, many conservative options strategies will look impressive because they’re partly riding the same upward trend.

The real test of an options income strategy is how it performs during sustained downturns and high-volatility periods. Ryan’s own admission that he lost a six-figure account during the 2020 crash — before adopting his current approach — is an important data point. He claims to have rebuilt successfully, but there’s no third-party verification of this performance.

This isn’t unique to Ryan. Very few trading educators provide audited, verified trading records. But when you’re asking people to pay an undisclosed amount for coaching based on your track record, the absence of verification matters.

A 45% annualized return over a largely bull-market period (2020-2026) is strong but not impossible with options strategies. However, it would put Ryan among some of the best-performing options traders in the retail space, which should invite scrutiny rather than blind acceptance.

Ryan Hildreth vs. Other Options Educators

If you’re specifically interested in learning options trading, here’s how Ryan compares to what else is available:

Factor	Options Trading University	Invest With Henry	Free YouTube/Books
Strategies Taught	Covered calls, CSPs, wheel, LEAPS	Similar conservative options strategies	Same strategies, widely available
Pricing	Hidden (apply for call)	Hidden (apply for call)	Free
Community	Discord + 1-on-1 coaching	Discord community	Reddit r/options, r/thetagang
Verified Track Record	No	No	N/A
Refund Policy	Not publicly stated	Not publicly stated	N/A
Content Quality	Regular YouTube + newsletter	Regular YouTube content	Varies widely

The uncomfortable truth about options education is that the strategies Ryan teaches are genuinely not proprietary. Subreddits like r/thetagang discuss these exact approaches every day with trade examples, strategy breakdowns, and community feedback — completely free.

What you’d be paying Ryan for is structured guidance, personal coaching, and community. Whether that’s worth an undisclosed price depends on how much hand-holding you need and how much you trust the person holding your hand.

The Serial Pivot Pattern — What It Really Tells You

Here’s what I think is the most useful lens for evaluating Ryan Hildreth.

Every 2-3 years, Ryan identifies a trending opportunity, builds a personal brand around it, launches a coaching product, monetizes his audience, and then moves to the next thing.

SMMA → Affiliate Marketing → Crypto → YouTube Automation → Options Trading.

This pattern doesn’t necessarily mean each individual product is bad. But it tells you something important about the business model: the primary revenue engine has consistently been selling education, not executing the strategies being taught.

The question you should ask yourself isn’t just “is options trading legitimate?” (it is) or “are covered calls a real strategy?” (they are). The question is: in 2-3 years, will Ryan Hildreth still be trading options, or will he have moved on to whatever’s trending next?

If the answer is the latter, then what you’re really buying is time-limited access to a community built around one person’s current interest — not a lasting education in a timeless skill.

Is Options Trading University Worth It?

Here’s my honest, balanced assessment.

The good: Ryan’s options content represents his most grounded work to date. The strategies he teaches are legitimate, widely used, and appropriate for income-focused investors. The community appears active, the YouTube content is consistent, and the shift away from hype-driven marketing is a positive sign.

The bad: Hidden pricing, account manipulation allegations from multiple sources, strategies that are freely available elsewhere, high-pressure sales tactics, and a track record that includes promoting a Ponzi scheme and launching a new course every few years.

The pattern: Ryan’s greatest skill has consistently been building and monetizing an audience around trending topics. Whether he’s genuinely a skilled options trader or primarily skilled at selling options education is a question only verified performance records could answer — and those don’t exist.

Bottom line: If you want to learn covered calls and cash-secured puts, you can do so for free. If you specifically want Ryan’s community and coaching, approach it with eyes open about the history, get the pricing and refund terms in writing before committing, and don’t invest more than you can afford to lose — both in the program cost and in the trading capital you’ll put at risk.

Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Consider This

This might make sense if:

• You want structured options education with personal coaching
• You’ve consumed Ryan’s free YouTube content and find his teaching style resonates
• You have trading capital you can genuinely afford to lose
• You understand the risks of options trading independent of any course
• You can verify pricing and refund terms in writing before paying

This is probably not for you if:

• The Bitconnect history or account manipulation allegations make you uncomfortable (trust your instincts)
• You can’t afford both the course fee and the trading capital required
• You prefer transparent, published pricing
• You’re looking for strategies not available for free elsewhere
• You need income quickly (options trading is not a quick-money play)

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Options Trading University cost? Pricing is not publicly available. You need to apply and speak with Ryan’s sales team. Previous Ryan Hildreth programs have ranged from $997 to $10,000+, so expect a significant investment.

Is Ryan Hildreth a scammer? Ryan isn’t running an outright scam — he delivers content and teaches real strategies. But his involvement with Bitconnect, allegations of brokerage account manipulation, and history of pivoting between trending high-ticket courses are legitimate concerns that warrant caution.

What happened with Ryan Hildreth and Bitconnect? Ryan promoted Bitconnect to his YouTube audience before it collapsed as a Ponzi scheme in 2018. He was named in related legal proceedings but wasn’t among those criminally charged. He has never fully addressed the impact on followers who invested based on his endorsement.

Are covered calls and cash-secured puts legitimate strategies? Yes, absolutely. These are among the most widely used and well-understood options income strategies. You don’t need a paid course to learn them — resources like r/thetagang, Tastytrade, and numerous free YouTube channels teach them extensively.

What about the account manipulation allegations? BestStockStrategy and Invest with Henry have both published content alleging that Ryan manipulates his brokerage account balances to appear more profitable. These are unverified allegations, but they come from multiple independent sources and should be considered.

Is Options With Ryan the same as Invest with Henry? No, they’re separate channels. However, Invest with Henry has claimed that Ryan was formerly one of his students and has accused Ryan of copying his content, strategies, and even video titles and thumbnails.

Does Ryan Hildreth still run Cashflow Channels? Cashflow Channels appears to be largely inactive as Ryan has shifted his focus entirely to Options Trading University and the Options With Ryan brand.

Final Verdict

Ryan Hildreth’s evolution into options trading education represents his most mature offering to date. The strategies are real, the content is less hype-driven than his previous ventures, and covered calls and cash-secured puts are genuinely solid approaches to generating income from the stock market.

But the baggage is real too. Bitconnect happened. The hidden pricing pattern continues. The account manipulation allegations from multiple sources exist. And the serial pivot from one trending topic to the next raises fair questions about whether this is a lasting commitment or another chapter in a career built on selling education.

If you’re going to learn options trading, learn the strategies — they’re powerful and worth understanding. But you can learn them for free from dozens of high-quality sources. Whether Ryan’s specific coaching and community justify an undisclosed price tag is a decision only you can make.

For me, when I look at the full picture — the business history, the ongoing concerns, and the fundamental economics of trading versus teaching — I’d rather build something where my income doesn’t depend on market conditions or whether today’s trade goes my way.

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