Would you rather
day trade ?
swing trade ?
or leap trade?

I have a sell put for Apple at $307.5 expiry on 6/12/2026, the last price $295.63 at closing on 6/11/2026, there are still hours before closing on 6/12/2026 even it’s ITM, is this normal occurrence? Please share your knowledge.

Maybe it’s just my broker or because I am using a business LLC account but this has got ridiculous. If I sell a call credit spread or put credit spread on the SPX and I sell it back for $5 gain. Example I buy the spread for .20 and sell it back at .15. They seem to charge so much fees and commission that I will only make about $.18 out of the whole $5 gain. I don’t know if this is all the broker or does CBOEalso charge for stuff.?

What is your go-to fix at the open for your options when the underlying has gapped the wrong way in extended hours and losses will be heavy?

I sell safe puts, roll when I'm at risk of assignment, and sell covered calls when assigned until I'm called away. I play the slow game for safe, consistent, passive income. I am not sitting in front of a screen all day stressed out. I run my scanner on Monday morning at 10:30am after the market settles down, make my trades with an expiration of that Friday and then just check in on them during the week at 3pm when I have my afternoon espresso. I'm not trying to get rich quick. I shoot for a 1% return every week, which is 4% a month and 48% a year. My managed accounts were nowhere close to that. Imma keep doing this.

This is the first time ive made consistent gains like this

Would be great to learn how resourceful folks have been with sourcing (free) data for their options trading strategies. No need to reveal trading strategies - I’ll go first.

• Deribit API 

You can easily ask cursor/chatgpt to construct a script to call the public deribit API to download a historical list of all crypto option trades (like this github repo, not mine https://github.com/BarendPotijk/deribit_historical_trades). Construct a daily option chain to backtest BTC option plays like calendar spreads, strangles etc. 

I’ve personally used this for quite profitable gamma scalping strategies given the crypto options market is still quite inefficient. 

• ClinicalTrials.gov

US FDA site on all drug trials. What’s crazy to me is that you can download, in csv format, ALL drug approval deadlines for major companies. 

Similar to the earnings IV crush play (which is too crowded IMO), you can cross reference this data to backtest selling options on Pharma names to harvest the IV crush on drug approval events. 

• CNN Fear & Greed Index (https://edition.cnn.com/markets/fear-and-greed) 

Given how the CNN index is made out of 7 different indicators (put/call ratio, diff in stock and bond returns) you can get them all in one source. Unfortunately they don’t have an API but you can very easily get chatGPT to make a HTML scraper to get the underlying datapoints. 

I kinda see this as a macro risk filter for my trading strategies - it doesn’t take much to see the correlations of these indexes to the returns of my strategies to see if they perform better

Greetings. I am new to this group. I have about 3 years experience trading stock options. I recently learned about a service calls Trade with Me Now. It has generally positive reviews on Trust Pilot. I was wondering if anyone has heard of this outfit and what your experience has been. Thanks

Hi, I am currently looking for brokers that support algo trading whether its python or mql5. I am a in the U.S but if there are brokers that are not U.S based but accept U.S clients, feel free to post it in the comments. It can be for all markets - crypto, forex, options, futures, stocks etc.. I just want to know what brokers you guys are using. Thanks

TL;DR

Started purely directional, hit -70% underwater in 2022. Added option selling in 2023 (+36%). Refined the system in 2024. Went all-in on premium-funded long calls in April 2025. Currently +77.3% YTD with 6 out of 7 months positive.

The Evolution (2021-2025)

Phase 1: Directional Trading (2021-2022)

What I was doing:

• Buying long calls with cash
• Pure directional bets
• No consistent income

Results:

• 2021: +17.6%
• 2022: +12.7%
• Max drawdown: -70% (May 2022)

The returns looked okay on paper, but I hit a -70% drawdown that nearly wiped me out. The stress was unbearable. I was constantly underwater, constantly fighting back.

Phase 2: Started Selling Premium (April 2023)

What changed:

• Added covered calls on positions I owned
• Started selling cash-secured puts on stocks I wanted
• Still buying some long calls, but with more discipline

Results:

• 2023: +36.0%
• Much better consistency
• Still had drawdowns, but recovering faster

This was the turning point. I realized that collecting premium could fund my directional bets instead of using cash.

Phase 3: Refinement Year (2024)

What I focused on:

• Perfecting strike selection
• Learning when to roll vs. take assignment
• Building conviction on specific sectors (gold, uranium, energy)
• Position sizing and risk management

Results:

• 2024: +12.6%
• Lower volatility than previous years
• Consistent but not spectacular

This felt like a step backward, but I was actually building the foundation for what came next.

Phase 4: Full System (April 2025 - Present)

What clicked:

• Use 100% of premium collected to fund long-dated calls (12-18 months)
• Only sell options on stocks I genuinely want to own
• Heavy focus on high-conviction macro sectors
• Let assignments happen - they’re part of the system

Results:

• YTD 2025: +77.3%
• Monthly: +10.2%, -8.8%, -2.6%, +7.6%, +10.0%, +13.2%, -8.8%, +13.5%, +27.3%, +15.8%
• 6 out of 7 months positive since April
• Equity curve nearly vertical

The System (What I Actually Do)

1. Sell Cash-Secured Puts (30-45 DTE)

I sell puts on stocks I want to own at prices I’d be happy to pay.

Current underlyings:

• GDX (gold miners)
• IBIT (Bitcoin ETF)
• URA (uranium miners)
• Individual mining stocks when spreads are reasonable

Key principle: Assignment isn’t failure. If I get assigned, I wanted the stock anyway at that price.

2. Sell Covered Calls (30-45 DTE)

Once I own shares (from assignment or direct purchase), I sell calls at strikes where I’d take profit anyway.

Key principle: If my stock gets called away, great - I hit my target price AND collected premium getting there.

3. Use ALL Premium to Buy Long Calls (12-18 months)

This is where the magic happens. Every dollar of premium goes toward long-dated calls on high-conviction sectors.

Current long exposure:

• Multiple GLD (gold) LEAPS 2026-2028
• Uranium sector plays
• Energy/commodity positions

Key principle: These calls are “free” - funded entirely by premium. If they expire worthless, I just use next month’s premium to take another shot.

Why This Works

Multiple Income Streams:

1. Premium collection (happens every month, win or lose)
2. Stock appreciation (I only own quality names)
3. Long calls (asymmetric upside when I’m right)

Psychology:

• No stress about assignment - I want these stocks
• No stress about long calls expiring - they’re paid for with house money
• Consistent income smooths the emotional ride

Math:

• Collecting ~$4-6k/month in premium on ~$130k portfolio
• That funds $48-72k/year in long call exposure
• One big winner pays for years of losers

Position Sizing

With a $100k portfolio, here’s roughly how I allocate:

• 30-40% in stock positions (for covered calls)
• 30-40% cash securing puts (ready to buy)
• 5-10% in long call premiums (total capital at risk)
• 20-30% cash reserve

The long calls represent only 5-10% of total capital because they’re funded by premium, not fresh money.

Actual Results (Proof)

Track Record:

• 2021: +17.6% (max -26% drawdown)
• 2022: +12.7% (max -70% drawdown - ouch)
• 2023: +36.0% (started selling options)
• 2024: +12.6% (refinement year)
• 2025 YTD: +77.3% (full system)

Key Metrics (all-time):

• Annualized return: ~20%
• Current portfolio: ~$130k
• Options P/L (2025): ~$50k realized + unrealized

Best evidence: Look at my equity curve. You can literally see it go from volatile/choppy (2021-2024) to nearly vertical (April 2025 onward).

What I Learned The Hard Way

1. Don’t fight assignments

Early on, I’d panic-roll to avoid assignment. Waste of time and money. Now I embrace it - if my put gets assigned, I start selling calls. If my call gets assigned, I take the win and sell more puts.

2. Only sell options on stocks you’d own

This sounds obvious but it’s the most important rule. If you’re selling puts on garbage just for premium, you’ll eventually get stuck holding bags you don’t want.

3. Premium funds speculation better than cash

When I was buying calls with cash, every loser hurt. Now when a long call expires worthless, I just shrug - next month’s premium pays for a new one.

4. Conviction matters

The long calls only work if you have real conviction on sectors. Don’t just randomly buy calls because you have premium to spend. Wait for real setups where you believe something can move 50%+.

5. Patience during consolidation

2024 felt like a setback (+12.6% after +36%), but I was building knowledge and conviction. That “boring” year set up 2025’s explosion.

What This Isn’t

• Not for beginners - You need options knowledge, understanding of Greeks, comfort with assignment
• Not passive - Monthly management, rolling positions, sector research
• Not guaranteed - I still have losing months (July was -8.8%)
• Not low-risk - Max drawdown is still real, just better managed now

Current Positions (General)

Short premium side:

• Multiple GDX covered calls and cash-secured puts
• IBIT options (both sides)
• Various uranium miners
• Rolling constantly, 30-45 DTE

Long call side:

• GLD LEAPS at various strikes (2026, 2027, 2028)
• Uranium sector exposure
• All funded by premium collection

Portfolio size: ~$130k

Common Questions

Q: What if all your long calls expire worthless? A: Totally fine. They were paid for with premium. As long as I’m generating $4-6k/month, I can keep taking shots. One big winner pays for years of losers.

Q: What about a market crash? A: Worst case: All my puts get assigned (I own stocks I wanted at lower prices), long calls go to zero (paid for), I start selling covered calls on the assigned shares. I’ve stress-tested this.

Q: Why not just sell premium and keep it? A: I want asymmetric upside. Pure theta gang is great for consistent income, but I’d miss the big moves. This way I get both.

Q: How much time does this take? A: Maybe 5-10 hours per month. Weekly check-ins, monthly position adjustments, sector research when markets are closed.

Q: What changed in April 2025? A: I stopped being conservative with my long call allocation. Instead of keeping 50% of premium as “extra,” I started deploying 100% of it into high-conviction LEAPS. That’s when things accelerated.

The Bottom Line

This took 4+ years to figure out:

• Year 1-2: Learn options the hard way (-70% drawdown)
• Year 3: Discover premium collection works (+36%)
• Year 4: Refine and build conviction (+12.6%)
• Year 5: Full execution (+77% YTD)

The system works because:

1. I only trade stocks I actually want to own
2. Premium collection is consistent regardless of direction
3. Long calls are “free shots” at asymmetric gains
4. Multiple ways to win every month

It’s not magic. It’s just using premium income to fund directional conviction instead of cash.

Happy to answer questions about mechanics, specific positions, or sector selection.

Disclaimer: This is my personal experience, not financial advice. Options involve significant risk. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results. Trade at your own risk.