---
title: What you pay and what you can make
description: Two numbers come with every sentence, before you pay. The most you can lose is what you pay.
---

Every sentence comes with two numbers, known before you pay:

- **What you pay.** The price of the position. You pay it once, up front.
- **What you could make.** The amount in your sentence.

The trade screen puts them in one line: you risk what you pay to make the amount in your sentence. The review step shows the same two numbers.

## Lose only what you pay

The most you can lose is what you paid. Whether the price slips a little or crashes, you lose that and never more. There is nothing to top up and nothing to watch overnight.

## The 5% is in the price

The price includes OptionHouse's margin, 5% of the price. A position on a side many positions already crowd can cost more.

Nothing comes off a win. "Make $3,000" means you make $3,000. A full win pays back what you paid, plus the amount you asked for.

## Cheap or costly

A cheap position rarely pays in full. A position that is very likely to pay costs a lot for what it can make. What you pay beside what you could make tells you which one you are looking at.