Covered call writing and put-selling calculations must be accurate and preferably understood by option-sellers. I created the Ellman Calculators to facilitate the authentic computations we depend on. In this article, I will review a successful trade executed by one of our members, David L, who used UTHR from our Premium Running list as the underlying […]

Evaluating Returns When Rolling Out And Up
Posted on March 28, 2015 by Alan Ellman in Covered Call Exit Strategies, Exit Strategies, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Options Trade Execution, Stock Option Strategies

What Is Portfolio Margining?
Posted on January 3, 2015 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Trade Execution, Stock Investing, Stock Option Strategies
Covered call writing and selling cash-secured puts are conservative strategies for risk-averse retail investors. This is why I feel most of us should be trading in cash accounts (no borrowing) and sheltered accounts whenever possible. For those of us who have higher -risk-tolerance and are experienced investors looking for higher returns, margin accounts may be […]

Evaluating Brokerages And Comparing Their Commissions
Posted on October 25, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Trade Execution, Uncategorized
Options trade executions include a discussion of the levels of trading approval needed to use various options strategies. You will recall that these defined levels will vary slightly from one brokerage to another. Here is a chart reviewing a sample of these trading levels: In this article, I will review the commission structure of some […]

Options Clearing Corporation: Guaranteeing Our Options Trades
Posted on October 11, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Trade Execution
Covered call writing and selling cash-secured puts involves investing our hard-earned money. Did you ever wonder who guarantees these trades? It’s not our broker or even our broker’s clearing firm. It’s the Options Clearing Corporation or the OCC. This is an organization that acts as both the issuer and guarantor for option and futures contracts. […]

Closing A Covered Call Writing Position Mid-Contract: A Real Life Example
Posted on June 13, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Covered Call Exit Strategies, Exit Strategies, Options Calculations, Options Trade Execution, Stock Option Strategies
The use of exit strategies will elevate our profits to the highest possible levels. Mastering the skill of position management is one of the main reasons why Blue Collar Investors outperform other covered call writers. A favorite exit strategy of mine is the mid-contract unwind exit strategy used in the first half of an options […]

Managing Covered Call Trades While Working A Full-Time Job
Posted on March 8, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Covered Call Exit Strategies, Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Trade Execution, Stock Option Strategies
Covered call writing is a popular and potentially highly rewarding strategy geared to retail investors. But most blue collar investors work 9-5 jobs and managing investment positions can be challenging if no common sense plan is in place. The purpose of this article is to discuss ways that we can keep track of our positions […]

When Strike Prices Disappear: Contract Adjustments
Posted on January 11, 2014 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Options Trade Execution
Stock options are contracts with terms that can change prior to expiration. Mergers, acquisitions, special dividends and stock splits are some of the events that may necessitate the change in terms. Since early September, New Orient Edu&Tech (EDU) has been on the Blue Collar Premium Stock List. In the middle of September I received several […]

Covered Call Writing And Contract Adjustments + Our Premium Report Is Getting Even Better
Posted on December 14, 2013 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Options Trade Execution, Stock Option Strategies
Options Trading Basics includes the fact that one options contract incorporates 100 shares of the underlying security. The right or the obligation is for the purchase or sale of 100 shares of stock or exchange-traded funds. This is the rule but there are exceptions to this rule. From time to time a certain event will […]

“Negotiating” The Best Prices When Buying And Selling Options
Posted on November 9, 2013 by Alan Ellman in Investment Basics, Option Trading Basics, Options Trade Execution, Stock Option Strategies
Our covered call writing strategy involves both buying and selling options. Mastering our options trade executions can bring our profit level to even higher levels. We know that a general rule is that we buy at the “bid” (the lower figure) and sell at the “ask” (the higher figure). The difference between the “bid” and […]

Selling Deep Out Of The Money Covered Call Options
Posted on September 21, 2013 by Alan Ellman in Option Trading Basics, Options Calculations, Options Trade Execution, Stock Option Strategies
Strike price selection is a critical concept needed to master covered call writing. Selling in-the-money strikes is the most conservative approach to this strategy and selling out-of-the-money strikes is the most bullish. We use the latter when the overall market is bullish and chart technicals are bullish and confirming. Once we have decided that a […]
Podcast
- 50. Exit strategies Must Be Timed Properly
- 49. Analyzing a Multi Leg Covered Call Rolling Down Series of Trades
- 48. Rolling Deep OTM Cash Secured Puts
- 47. Rolling Up in the Same Contract Month
- 46. Should Delta Be the Sole Criteria for Covered Call Writing Strike Selection
- 45. Implied Volatility and Expected price Movement During the Life of Option Contracts
- 44. Can We Use ITM Strikes to Create a No Risk Covered Call Strategy?
- 43. Converting a Covered Call Trade to a Collar Trade
- 42. Why Was My OTM Put Exercised?
- 41. Collar Trades When Call Strikes Move Deep In The Money
Subscribe To Our Free Newsletter
Categories
- Ask Alan (14)
- Covered Call Exit Strategies (155)
- Exchange-Traded Funds (44)
- Exit Strategies (138)
- Fundamental Analysis (31)
- Investment Basics (419)
- Just Alan (6)
- Option Trading Basics (430)
- Options Calculations (274)
- Options Trade Execution (97)
- paper trading (3)
- Podcasts (42)
- Put-selling (58)
- Stock Investing (105)
- Stock Option Strategies (397)
- Stock Trading & Taxes (18)
- Technical Analysis (40)
- Uncategorized (16)
Recent Posts
Premium Membership
Why Covered Call Options May Be Your Best Investing Strategy
Nasdaq Interviews Alan Ellman
© 2020 The Blue Collar Investor. All Rights Reserved.
Beginners Corner Enhanced & Updated
- Lesson 1: Beginner's Corner for Covered Call Writing: 2nd Edition
- Lesson 2: Beginner's Corner for Covered Call Writing- 2nd Edition: Option Basics
- Lesson 3: Beginner's Corner for Covered Call Writing- Stock Selection
- Lesson 4: Beginner's Corner for Covered Call Writing-2nd Edition
- Lesson 5: Beginner's Corner for Covered Call Writing
- Lesson 6: Beginner's Corner for Covered Call Writing
- Lesson 7: Beginner's Corner for Covered Call Writing: 2nd Edition
- Lesson 8: Beginner's Corner for Covered Call Writing
- Video 9: Premium Membership
Beginners Corner Selling-Puts
- Lesson 1: What Is Puts Selling?
- Lesson 2: Puts-Selling Option Basics
- Lesson 3:puts-selling-technical analysis
- Lesson 4:puts-selling-Common Sense Considerations
- Lesson 5:puts-selling-Calculating Returns
- Lesson 6:puts-selling-Executing Put-Selling
- Lesson 7:puts-selling- Exit Strategies
- Lesson 8:puts-selling-Mastering Put-Selling
Recent Comments