6 Great Option Strategies For Beginners

Mark Wolfinger

Posted on Fri 27th Mar, 2009 03:27:29 PM

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Option rookies are often eager to begin trading – too eager. It’s important to get a solid foundation to be certain you understand how options work and how they can help you achieve your goals – before trading.

Here’s a list of my favorite methods. Note: this list contains strategies that are easy to learn and understand. Each is less risky than owning stock. Most involve limited risk. For investors not familiar with options lingo read our beginners options terms and intermediate options terms posts.

1. Covered call writing. Using stock you already own (or buy new shares), you sell someone else a call option that grants the buyer the right to buy your stock at a specified price. That limits profit potential. You collect a cash premium that is yours to keep, no matter what else happens. That cash reduces your cost. Thus, if the stock declines in price, you may incur a loss, but you are better off than if you simply owned the shares.

Example: Buy 100 shares of IBM
Sell one IBM Jan 110 call

2. Cash-secured naked put writing. Sell a put option on a stock you want to own, choosing a strike price that represents the price you are willing to pay for stock. You collect a cash premium in return for accepting an obligation to buy stock by paying the strike price. You may not buy the stock, but if you don’t, you keep the premium as a consolation prize. If you maintain enough cash in your brokerage account to buy the shares (if the put owner exercises the put), then you are considered to be ‘cash-secured.’

Example: Sell one AMZN Jul 50 put; maintain $5,000 in account

3. Collar. A collar is a covered call position, with the addition of a put. The put acts as an insurance policy and limit losses to a minimal (but adjustable) amount. Profits are also limited, but conservative investors find that it’s a good trade-off to limit profits in return for limited losses.

Example: Buy 100 shares of IBM
Sell one IBM Jan 110 call
Buy one IBM Jan 95 put

4. Credit spread. The purchase of one call option, and the sale of another. Or the purchase of one put option, and the sale of another. Both options have the same expiration. It’s called a credit spread because the investor collects cash for the trade. Thus, the higher priced option is sold, and a less expensive, further out of the money option is bought. This strategy has a market bias (call spread is bearish and put spread is bullish) with limited profits and limited losses.

Example: Buy 5 JNJ Jul 60 calls
Sell 5 JNJ Jul 55 calls

or Buy 5 SPY Apr 78 puts
Sell 5 SPY Apr 80 puts

5. Iron condor. A position that consists of one call credit spread and one put credit spread. Again, gains and losses are limited.

Example: Buy 2 SPX May 880 calls
Sell 2 SPX May 860 calls

and Buy 2 SPX May 740 puts
Sell 2 SPX May 760 puts

6. Diagonal (or double diagonal) spread. These are spreads in which the options have different strike prices and different expiration dates.

1. The option bought expires later than the option sold
2. The option bought is further out of the money than the option sold

Example: Buy 7 XOM Nov 80 calls
Sell 7 XOM Oct 75 calls This is a diagonal spread

Or Buy 7 XOM Nov 60 puts
Sell 7 XOM Oct 65 puts This is a diagonal spread

If you own both positions at the same time, it’s a double diagonal spread

Note that buying calls and/or puts is NOT on this list, despite the fact that the majority of rookies begin their option trading careers by adopting that strategy. True, it’s fun to buy an option and treat it as a mini-lottery ticket. But, that’s gambling. The likelihood of consistently making money when buying options is small, and I cannot recommend that strategy.

Mark D Wolfinger is an options veteran and the author of the book, The Rookie’s Guide to Options. Visit his blog, Options For Rookies and follow him on Twitter!

Further Reading, Options:

• 7 Reasons Investors Trade Options
• 9 Options Terms every investor should know
• 12 Intermedia Option Terms to know
• Understanding the Black Scholes Model
• Investors guide to Trading European Options

View our Options Trading page.