Let me introduce myself. My name is Mark Wolfinger and I was a market
maker at the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) for 24 years, beginning in
1977. Over the past eight years, I’ve
been teaching individual investors how to use options conservatively to make
money and to reduce the risks
associated with investing in the stock market. I’ve also written three books and numerous magazine
articles. You can
learn more about me here.
I’ve learned a great deal of practical information about options
over the past 30 years, and the goal of this blog is to share some of that
information. I strongly believe that:
- Investors who own stocks or
mutual funds – people like you - can benefit by adopting conservative option
strategies
- Options were invented as
risk-reducing investment tools, and not as toys for gamblers
- It's easy to begin using options
p Option strategies can be used
successfully by people who have little time to devote to their investments (but
those who have more time can achieve even better results)
Many of you may have heard that options are strictly for gamblers,
but that’s not true. If your stockbroker
feels that way, it’s time to change brokers. Sure, you can gamble with options, but I’ll try to convince you not to
do so.
I will not be offering any get-rich-quick gimmicks. I don’t guarantee profits, but if you adopt
one or more of the strategies I recommend on this blog, your chances of making
money are going to be better than if you simply buy and hold a stock (or mutual fund)
portfolio.
If you are interested in
learning how options work, I’m here to help.
One rule: I won’t be making any stock market predictions or recommending
specific investments. Instead, I’ll help you understand options and how to use them effectively. I’ll discuss different strategies and answer
your questions.
Today, many professional traders, mutual funds, hedge funds, and individual
investors use stock options and trading
volume establishes new records year after year. Yet, there are vast numbers of
investors who remain unfamiliar with these versatile investment tools. If you are one of them, or even if you already understand a little about
options, this blog will provide useful information.
In future posts, I’ll write about stock volatility and why it’s so
important when trading options. If there
are other topics you want to see discussed in this blog, please post a comment
or question.
Returning to the title of today’s post, you should care about options because they are useful investment tools that can help you achieve a successful financial future. As you learn more about them, you can decide if options are appropriate for you.
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