Publications

What if I can’t monitor my trades?

Jim’s advice for people in these circumstances is to close out any vulnerable positions until you are able to pay attention and trade again. For example, if you are traveling without internet access at the beginning of August, prior to leaving you should consider closing out your option positions expiring in June. Upon your return, […]… Read More

As a new member, should I enter old trades or wait for new ones?

Most new members wait for new Trade Alerts. Options for Income (OFI) trades come out every Thursday and Velocity Trader (VT) trades come out every Tuesday except for on major holidays. When looking at the homepage, please note that each trade is labeled as either New Trades or Rolls next to the Alert date. New […]… Read More

Should I close a winning trade early?

Jim Fink never closes out winning trades early, but some members do if they need margin buying power for other trades, are unable to monitor their trades for a period of time, or simply get nervous that the stock may pull back. If you do choose to close a trade early, note that you will […]… Read More

Am I going to get assigned?

How can I tell if I’m at risk of getting assigned early? For puts, early assignment is unlikely until the option’s expiration is three weeks or less from the current date, so Jim doesn’t start analyzing short puts for assignment risk until the last three weeks. The risk of early assignment becomes significant if the […]… Read More

I got assigned–what do I do now?

I got assigned on the put option that I initially sold. What do I do? What if I don’t have the cash to cover the cost of purchasing 100 shares of the stock? How large is my maximum potential loss? Stock assignment is not usually what we want to happen when trading spreads. But every […]… Read More

Can I enter old trades?

As a new member, should I enter old trades or wait for new ones? Most new members wait for new Trade Alerts. Options for Income (OFI) trades come out every Thursday and Velocity Trader (VT) trades come out every Tuesday except for on major holidays. When looking at the homepage, please note that each trade […]… Read More

LOW, NEE: Watts in Your Toolbox

Last week, U.S. markets once again shrugged off trade tension jitters to post modest gains, with the S&P 500 climbing approximately 0.6% and the Nasdaq rising around 1.5%, marking the S&P’s third winning week in four. The Dow edged down slightly (~0.1%) amid some profit-taking in industrials. Markets were buoyed by resilient economic data—including solid June retail sales and steady job growth (147k jobs added, 4.1% unemployment) —and upbeat earnings guidance from financials like Charles Schwab and Regions, which helped offset lingering tariff concerns after Washington floated possible 15–20% tariffs on EU imports. Record highs in the S&P and Nasdaq reflected broad-based confidence, fueled by optimism around a potential interest-rate pause and continued leadership by Big Tech and AI-related sectors. European equities also rebounded modestly, and German ZEW sentiment hit multi-year highs (52.7), signaling renewed optimism abroad…. Read More

How do I do a “placeholder” trade when I get assigned early?

Getting assigned early on an option strike you have sold isn’t a big deal. Every trader experiences it because assignment can happen at any time and for any reason, rational or not. Jim Fink won’t advise you to roll a trade until three weeks prior to expiration at the earliest because “early assignment” rarely occurs […]… Read More

OMC, RSG, TSLA, LULU: July Rolls Part 2 of 2

The last four. We also have six trades expiring for profits!… Read More

ABT, BX, NSC, TXN: Fractious Four

Four rolls and four expiring winners: GOOGL (100.0%), VXX (92.3%), NEE (61.3%), and AMGN (19.8%)… Read More