The Option Alpha Podcast

Show notes: https://optionalpha.com/show165

Personally, I don't like rules. Mostly because I value freedom and flexibility so when someone says that I have to follow the rules I naturally push back. Things that confine me or tell me what to do don't fly well with me. But that only applies to things outside of trading and investing. In the world of investing, and specifically trading options, you need to live by certain rules. Rules that keep you safe and protected from the unknown of the market.

I imagine that the 11 "Golden Rules" I'm going to present in this podcast will cause many of you to push back and challenge their usefulness. Mostly because they'll cause you to trade different than you have in the past, and being different means being uncomfortable. I'm okay with that and I welcome the discussion around them. But don't misinterpret this level of understanding in adoption to also represent flexibility when it comes to these rules. These are "unbreakable" rules for me and should be for you as well.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show164

Since we are option sellers and our edge comes from selling overpriced options out into maturity it's natural to assume that if we want to sell options when IV is high that buying options during low IV markets is a way to make money in the other direction. We get it and understand the rationale argument. When IV is low, and option premiums are cheap, you can and should buy options because they are cheap right? Not so fast bargain-buyer.

This type of thought process and strategy, low IV option buying, has two major problems. And we don't use the word "major" lightly here. Each problem with option buying systems is so important that the probability of getting both problems right or solved is for all intensive purposes, impossible on a long timeline. Curious to know what these major issues are? Let's dive into today's show and find out.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show163

This was a long trade. Maybe not the longest trade we've been involved in, but certainly one of the top ones as this short put option assignment lasted over 5 months. For most options traders looking to make a quick buck, this trade stretches their patience and conviction far beyond a reasonable level. Still, I think that today's case study is important to hear because it proves critical concepts to how we think about trading here at Option Alpha. And what better way to prove something than to show you how we managed the entire position, start to finish, with real money.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show162

It might seem that the markets are a game of price, and while that might be mostly true, what they are is really a game of emotions. With enough self-awareness, the "average" investor can do incredibly well. Better than many sophisticated investors.

There's so much to be said about controlling your emotions and recognizing biases that we could spend hours upon hours dissecting each one. I prefer a more optimized approach which is why I decided to do a podcast specifically on the top 8 biases that investors fall victim to. Once you learn to recognize them, you can then process the emotions behind the scenes so that it doesn't interfere with your trading.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show161

As many of our long-time listeners know, over the years I've become increasingly protective and selective with the guests that I invite to come on the show. Truth be told, we get pitched weekly for people looking to expand their reach. Somethings it's just so off the wall and disconnected to trading that I have to laugh. But this isn't the case with today's guests which I'm super excited to bring on for an interview.

Kevin Smith and Tavi Costa both generously gave their time to join me for an incredible look inside their philosophy and macro models at Crescat Capital, a hedge fund based in Denver Colorado. This is an episode you won't want to miss. In fact, I encourage you to listen to it at least twice to make sure you pick up on all the little details you might have skipped the first time around.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show160

Newest platform updates.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show159

This podcast is a long-time coming but one that needed to be done because we get a lot of questions from newbie traders about how to build an options portfolio with a small amount of starting capital. And while we openly suggest that you really start trading with at least $5,000 or more, as you'll hear me say a bunch in this show, we realize that a good majority of new traders want to start with less. That's why in today's show we'll play "pretend" and assume you absolutely want to start trading with just $3,000.

Inside I'll walk through my though process on building out a portfolio that gives you the highest possible chance of success. We'll cover everything from position sizing, ticker selection, strategies to use, what ranges or targets for setting them up, profit taking and stop losses, and much more. The concepts we'll cover are applicable to any portfolio size so don't think or one second that this show is just for small account traders. If you trade a larger account size you can also pick up a lot of great nuggets of information.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show158

Somewhere, possibly from another planet, this notion of trading options with a high probability of success transformed into a subconscious greed for 100% probability of success trades. And if you think that this mentality doesn't exist in the modern market we are in, you should see the emails we get at Option Alpha on a weekly basis. The truth is that you are going to have losing trades, a lot of them over the course of your career. Sometimes they'll come in groups and bunches that make you question everything you are doing or the strategy/system you are choosing to use. But, the first step on your road to elevating yourself is to ask yourself, "Can I trust the process?".

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show157

A couple of weeks ago I was reading the story of the three little pigs to my daughters. And for some reason, I couldn't help but think about the untold story of the three little pigs who traded options? Yes, it's true, many people don't know this but the three little pigs were actually given a large chunk of money from their mother and each decided to trade wildly different options portfolios when they set out on their own. In today's podcast, I'll walk through each of the different portfolios they used and how volatility and variance can impact long-term performance and why it's important that we know the story of the three little pigs that traded options.

Show notes: http://optionalpha.com/show156

Many of our members understand the best times to trade options (i.e. higher IV setups when option premiums are expensive), but should we avoid trading during other market situations? Today's podcast walks through the four general market situations I avoid aggressively trading in and explain why each type requires that you either sit on the sidelines or dramatically scale back your position size.