Latest Insights in Stock Market Investing
Alan’s 2015 New Year’s Greeting & Resolutions
Join me as I take a quick look back at 2013 & 2014, review my expectations for BCI in 2015. As with 2014, this year's resolution is for you. I realize that I'm just a man with an idea and a dream, but because of you that dream has been realized to an extent I...
Option Prices: The Role Of Interest Rates And Dividends
Mastering options trading basics includes understanding the factors that impact our option premiums. The original Black Scholes pricing model was designed to evaluate European Style options which can only be exercised on expiration Friday, not earlier. Here is a brief...
Covered Combinations: Merging Covered Call Writing and Put-Selling into One Strategy
A Covered combination ("combo trade") trade is the simultaneous sale of an out-of-the-money (OTM) call and an out-of-the-money put with the same expiration date on 100 shares of a stock or ETF (exchange-traded fund). It consists of a combination of a covered call and...
Using Put-Selling To Enter A Covered Call Trade At A Discount
Combining covered call writing and selling cash-secured puts into a multi-tiered option strategy is one way to hedge against bear and volatile market environments. In my book, Selling Cash-Secured Puts, I refer to this as the PCP or put-call-put-strategy. First I will...
Comparing Covered Call Writing And Put Selling In Bear Markets
Our stock options strategies, whether writing covered calls or selling cash-secured puts (the topic on my just published book) requires us to make an overall market assessment before entering any trades. In last week's article we evaluated bull market scenarios. In...
Comparing Covered Call Writing And Put Selling In Bull Markets
Covered call writing or put-selling? In-the-money or out-of-the-money strikes? When we view an options chain there are some basic principles we must factor into our final covered call writing or put-selling decisions. First, which of these two strategies is most...
Covered Call Writing With Protective Puts: A Proposed Strategy
When protective puts are integrated into our covered call writing strategy it is known as the collar strategy. The covered call aspect of the trade generates cash flow and the protective put leg serves as an insurance policy against catastrophic share...
RHO: Why Interest Rates Effect Our Option Premiums
Interest rates and the option Greeks play an important role in understanding option trading basics. Rho, not considered a major Greek, measures the change in an option's price resulting from a 1% change in interest rates. When interest rates do change, it is normally...
Implied Volatility: General Market Conditions That Make Option Values Move Up Or Down
Option trading basics teaches us that selling call and put options is actually selling time value. Time value consists mainly of time to expiration stats and the implied volatility (IV) of the underlying security. Since most of us are selling monthly options, the main...
Podcast
- 126. Analyzing the Status of a Rolling-Down Trade
- 124. Dividends and After-Hours News Causing Exercise of OTM Call Strikes
- 123. Implied Volatility, IV Rank and IV Percentile Defined and Practical Applications
- BCI PODCAST 122: Should I Roll-Out My Deep In-The-Money Call Option Mid-Contract?
- BCI PODCAST 121: What is a SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company)?
- 120. Using the Nasdaq-100 Volatility Index (VOLQ) in Covered Call Writing Decisions
- 119. Establishing Our Cost-Basis for Long-Term Holdings
- 118. Adjusting Our Portfolio Mix to Achieve Diversification and Cash Allocation
- 117. When a Covered Call Strike Moves $1000.00 In-The-Money
- 116. How to Execute a Covered Call Trade with a Buy/Write Combination Form
Explore Investment Topics
Covered Call Exit Strategies
Exit Strategies
Our Journey and Mission
The Blue Collar Investor was founded with a simple mission: to empower everyday individuals with the knowledge to invest wisely in the stock market. Our blog focuses on demystifying stock options, providing readers with the tools they need to succeed. We believe that anyone can learn to invest effectively, regardless of their background or experience.
Our story began when our founder Dr. Alan Ellman, realized the lack of accessible resources for average investors. Determined to bridge this gap, we created a platform that offers comprehensive guides, expert tips, and real-world strategies. Today, The Blue Collar Investor is a trusted resource for thousands of readers seeking to enhance their financial literacy and achieve their investment goals.