Tricks of the Trade: Using options in retirement accounts.

• What are the limitations of trading options in a retirement account?
• What strategies can you utilize?
• Stock replacement strategy: what is it?
• Long-term stock replacement strategy with a covered call, aka fig leaf strategy.

The Buzz: What do informed advisors need to know?

• 2017 turned out to be a pretty good year for options - even with no volatility - also ETFs
• The new tax bill - not many changes for options users.
• akeaways from the 2017 Fidelity RIA Benchmarking Study.

Office Hours: Listener questions and comments

2017 was the "Year that Volatility Died". So our first question of the week for 2018 is a puzzler. Quite simply: where do you think $VIX will close at the end of the year?

• Between 7.5-9.99
• Between 10- 12.49
• Between 12.50 -14.99
• Above 15

Listener questions: What's on your mind?

• Question from L Penguin - I'm a new options trader and I want to buy a LEAP call because it looks like the stock is going to go to up in the next 12 months, but I don't want to commit yet. I also want to generate income while I hold that position. What are your thoughts on selling the call while I have the leap? Also, this stock has an attractive dividend that I'd like to capture. Is this even possible? Interested in your thoughts, thanks!...I was thinking about buying a deep in the money call for the LEAP, and then depending on where the stock is trading at the time, sell closer to the money.