Friday, 29 April 2011

Making Money With Options Trading

By Tony Centeno


Options offer the investor a way to control thousands of shares of stock without having to actually buy the shares. These special contracts are a way to use leverage to increase the rate of return on a stock investment. Many investors have trouble understanding call and put contracts so they shy away from them. However, it is worthwhile to take the time to learn how they work because they can be very profitable.

There are many different types of trades that can be put together with call and put contracts. Some can be quite risky for the average investor. There is one play that is very conservative that the typical investor can do well with. This strategy is called the covered call strategy. It is a low risk trade that generates immediate income when you begin the transaction.

In the event the covered call contract is in the money there is a way to terminate the trade for only a minimal loss. You terminate the trade by buying the same call contracts that you sold. This transaction offsets the first transaction when you sold the call contracts. In reality, most call contracts expire out of the money. This means they expire worthless, which the seller of the contract wants.

The power of the covered call strategy is the frequent waves of income that flow into your account. Anyone who has a substantial common stock portfolio ought to be utilizing this powerful income generating technique. You can learn more about how call and put options work on the internet. The blogs and informational websites can be very helpful in educating those just starting with call and put contracts.

Besides the income the covered call method provides, the investor will have peace of mind knowing that this is a low risk venture. Some call and put trades are very complicated and carry a large degree of risk. The individual investor should not confused the covered called strategy with risky complex trades like swaps and straddles and so forth.

Covered calls are so safe that stock brokers do not even require strict net worth requirements or margin accounts. Other types of trades require the investor to put up collateral for large risky trades.The fact that the stock brokers consider this a safe investment is telling. Information is important when you are considering investments. It is important for the individual investor to understand what they are investing in.

You may want to speak to your financial adviser about adding this income generating technique to your financial plan. It is a low risk way to boost the performance of your investments. Because it is a safe way to preserve a strong common stock portfolio while generating an income stream, this is something all savvy investors should consider.

Talk to your financial planer to see how options can work in your investment plan. There are many different strategies that can be implemented to increase your stock market earnings. This is a sophisticated investment strategy that may not be appropriate for all investors. You should make sure that you have solid investments in your retirement accounts first before you start experimenting with this. However, it is definitely worth exploring the money making possibilities of using calls and put contracts.




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