Browse 78 articles on options trading strategies, covered calls, cash-secured puts, credit spreads, and income investing from Cash Flow University's professional traders.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
Assignment is what happens to an option seller when the buyer uses it. See what lands in your account for sold puts, covered calls and calls with no shares.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
A put credit spread can lose more than the credit you collect. See the worst case in dollars, what a roll changes, and one META stock campaign that lost $215.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
How to keep an honest record of your options trades, with worked examples of premium collected against income, rolls, assignments and trades closed in pieces.
By Stephen Manning · · 14 min read
Options trading statistics, sourced and dated: how many Americans trade options, record volume, 0DTE, how many options expire worthless and who loses money.
By Stephen Manning · · 13 min read
How options trading alerts work: what's in one, when it goes up, what to ask an options alert service, and what CFU's audited record shows, losses included.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
Own 100 shares? CFU's free covered call scanner finds a call 21 to 45 days out near 0.25 delta that ends before earnings. A real KO lookup and its four rules.
By Stephen Manning · · 13 min read
Choosing an options expiration around earnings, CPI and Fed decisions: a real AVGO put credit spread, our calendar check, and what 420 closed trades can show.
By Stephen Manning · · 4 min read
Two trades closed in the same week: a CELH LEAPS call held one day and an XYZ put credit spread rolled for three years. Why both come from the same system.
By Stephen Manning · · 3 min read
Everybody publishes what they made. Almost nobody publishes what it cost to hold the positions that made it. A member asked, so here is the whole month.
By Stephen Manning · · 3 min read
I show scanner output that delivers fully defined option trades—strikes, expiry, order and risk metrics—so you can choose and size, not assemble.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
Greater fool theory vs the last buyer test: would your assets still pay you if nobody could sell for five years? Why cash flow compounds and price gains wait.
By Stephen Manning · · 6 min read
When to close an option early: in our audited record, put credit spreads close with a third of their life left and covered calls run close to expiry.
By Stephen Manning · · 4 min read
Can't sell a call against your LEAPS? Brokers treat it as a spread, not a covered call, so you need spread approval. Here is the fix and what the trade is for.
By Stephen Manning · · 5 min read
Rolling credit spreads, from our record: 88 of 347 closed put credit spreads needed a roll. What the rolls bought, why 72 came out wider, and our one-roll rule.
By Stephen Manning · · 5 min read
Put credit spreads from 347 closed trades in our record: how wide we build them, how far out we open them, how long we hold them, and the one in four we rolled.
By Stephen Manning · · 6 min read
Put credit spreads at an S&P 500 record high: why thin premium invites mistakes, why one in four of ours needed a roll, and the Jade Lizard we used on PLTR.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
Unrealized equity gains carried much of Tesla's and Alphabet's quarter. A cash flow look at Tesla, Alphabet and Nvidia, and how to turn it into premium trades.
By Stephen Manning · · 14 min read
Is AI a bubble like the dot-com era? Probably in part, and the tech can still win. Amara's Law, how AI differs from 2000, and the signs that show where we are.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
Five wealth rules: widen your savings gap, give compounding time, own productive assets, survive first and let behavior beat brains, with cited data.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
A $696 covered call loss on IBIT in November 2025: the math, what went wrong, and three rules it created. Collar volatile assets, check the calendar, set exits.
By Stephen Manning · · 15 min read
A covered call strategy for weekly income on 100 shares you own: which stocks suit it, how to pick the strike and expiry, when to roll, and mistakes to avoid.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
Implied volatility is the move the market prices into an option. What IV rank and IV percentile tell you, how IV crush hurts buyers, and when to sell premium.
By Stephen Manning · · 7 min read
Long call options explained: when a long call belongs in your playbook, how I size and manage one, and the mistakes that turn asymmetry into lottery tickets.
By Stephen Manning · · 12 min read
An iron condor strategy for sideways markets: how to build one on SPY, choose strikes and expiry, read the Greeks, roll the untested side, and when to exit.
By Stephen Manning · · 10 min read
A call credit spread strategy for bearish or flat markets: how to build one, choose the short strike, what you can make and lose, and when to roll or close.
By Stephen Manning · · 15 min read
A put credit spread strategy step by step: pick the underlying, use 21 to 45 days and a 0.20 to 0.30 delta short put, size by max loss and exit by rule.
By Stephen Manning · · 12 min read
Options trading community vs trading alone: six hard truths about feedback, position sizing, accountability and real-time alerts, and what going solo costs you.
By Stephen Manning · · 13 min read
AI for options trading in 2026: what AI scanners do well, where they miss context and risk, and a five-step framework that keeps a human on the final decision.
By Stephen Manning · · 12 min read
Cash-secured puts vs covered calls: one starts with cash, the other with shares. When to use each, the side-by-side differences, and how the wheel joins them.
By Stephen Manning · · 17 min read
Options strategies for small accounts in 2026: credit spreads from $500, then cash-secured puts and covered calls as the account grows, with sizing and exits.
By Stephen Manning · · 14 min read
The eight options strategies retail traders use most, from covered calls to straddles: why each often fails, when it works, and which are high probability.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
Credit spreads for beginners: how bull put and bear call spreads collect premium with defined risk, plus strike, sizing, entry, exit and rolling rules.
By Stephen Manning · · 7 min read
The wheel strategy in three steps: sell cash-secured puts, take assignment, then sell covered calls. Why NFLX, NVDA, TSLA, AAPL and PLTR are good to learn on.
By Stephen Manning · · 13 min read
Build an options trading plan in five steps: read the market, screen liquid stocks, risk 1 to 2% of your account per trade, enter with limits, exit by rule.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
Is options trading worth it? Yes for traders with defined risk, small size and written rules; no for lottery-ticket buyers. Who it suits and what it takes.
By Stephen Manning · · 16 min read
Cash-secured puts explained: sell a put on a stock you want, keep the premium, and buy at your strike if assigned. Strikes, expiry, rolling and the real risks.
By Stephen Manning · · 16 min read
What is a covered call? A beginner's guide to selling calls on shares you own: worked examples, the payoff diagram, Greeks, strike and expiry choices, risks.
By Stephen Manning · · 17 min read
Options trading alert and advisory services compared for 2026: eight services on strategy, real-time delivery, education and track record, plus red flags.
By Stephen Manning · · 7 min read
Six uncomfortable truths about modern finance: the knowledge gap, bank-made money, the Cantillon effect, exported inflation, bailouts and currency debasement.
By Stephen Manning · · 7 min read
The Angstrom Era explained: why ASML alone makes the EUV machines behind leading-edge chips, how Tesla designs its own chips, and the power grid bottleneck.
By Stephen Manning · · 6 min read
Robotaxis could cut a 30-mile ride from about $75 on Uber to $9 to $15. The cost math, the ripple effects on car ownership and what it means for investors.
By Stephen Manning · · 10 min read
Covered call stock above your strike? Your choices in the zone of regret: roll up and out for a net credit, let shares be called away, or restart the wheel.
By Stephen Manning · · 10 min read
Position sizing for options: the 2% rule, how to work out contracts from max loss, a cap on total open risk, cutting size when VIX is high, and common mistakes.
By Stephen Manning · · 17 min read
Options trading for beginners in 2026: calls and puts in plain English, four starter strategies with their cost and risk, and six steps to a first trade.
By Stephen Manning · · 12 min read
Wheel vs LEAPS vs poor man's covered call compared: capital needed, max loss, time horizon and when each fits, with RGTI, NVO and Netflix PMCC examples.
By Stephen Manning · · 5 min read
Tesla in 2026: Baird's $548 target, the case for Cybercab robotaxis, the Optimus robot and Tesla Semi, and revenue projected to reach $297B by 2030 from $134B.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
Election volatility in midterm years: why stocks have often been weak before the vote and firmer after, how 2026 compares with 1998 and 2022, and options plays.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
Sustainable options trading favors boring, repeatable income. See how credit spreads, debit spreads, theta and position sizing build a plan you can keep.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
How many option trades to keep open at once: a simple rule built on risk per trade and total open risk, with guidelines for $10,000 to $100,000 accounts.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
How to earn a yield on Netflix stock with covered calls: choosing strikes and expirations, the cost of capped upside, and how it compares with the NFLW ETF.
By Stephen Manning · · 12 min read
ULTY review: how the YieldMax option income ETF funds its weekly payouts, why return of capital and NAV erosion matter, and the case for selling calls yourself.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
Theta vs delta for option spreads: how time decay and direction each drive profit, the delta range credit spread sellers use, and when to lean on each Greek.
By Stephen Manning · · 10 min read
Consistent options income comes from small, repeatable wins and capped losses, not jackpots. How covered calls, credit spreads and sizing build it in practice.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
COIW does not sell covered calls. This guide compares it with CONY, ICOI and COII and lays out a weekly covered call plan on Coinbase with rolls and limits.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
Debit spread repair made practical: five rolling rules, a repair playbook from time rolls to butterflies, a numeric example, and when to close instead.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
Defined risk vs undefined risk in options: what each means, why naked options can lose more than you planned, and how spreads and iron condors cap the loss.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
AMZW explained: how the Roundhill AMZN WeeklyPay ETF targets 1.2x Amazon's weekly return through swaps, pays weekly distributions, and the costs and risks.
By Stephen Manning · · 7 min read
ULTY vs. YMAX vs. QDTE compared: how each high-yield option income ETF works, fees, return of capital and NAV erosion risk, and which investor each may suit.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
Crypto staking explained: proof-of-stake rewards, solo, pooled and liquid staking on Ethereum, lockup periods, slashing risk and a platform checklist.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
Learn options trading in 30 days without a math degree: a day-by-day plan from calls and puts to the Greeks, paper trades and one small live position.
By Stephen Manning · · 12 min read
Options trading mistakes beginners make: leverage, no plan, ignoring implied volatility, oversized trades, bad timing and emotion, with a fix for each one.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
Options trading strategies for volatile markets: long straddles, iron condors, protective puts and calendar spreads, reading the VIX, and sizing the risk.
By Stephen Manning · · 12 min read
What to look for in an options trading course before you pay: live trade examples, a published record, risk rules, instructor background, community and price.
By Stephen Manning · · 7 min read
How to use daily options trade alerts in 15 minutes a day: a routine for receiving, checking, placing and tracking each alert, with put and spread examples.
By Stephen Manning · · 6 min read
How options are priced: stock price, strike, time, volatility, interest rates and dividends, plus how implied volatility, theta and skew move the premium.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
Stock trading for beginners: how the market works, trading vs investing, chart basics, trading styles, risk and psychology, and covered call income on shares.
By Stephen Manning · · 10 min read
An options trading membership should include alerts with the reasoning, education, community and accountability. Here is what you get and how to judge the fee.
By Stephen Manning · · 10 min read
Stocks vs options for long-term investors: how shares compound through earnings and dividends, where options add leverage and income, and the risks of each.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
What happens when an option expires: worthless if out of the money, usually auto-exercised if in the money. Calls, puts, and what to do without the cash.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
Call vs put options in plain English: a call is the right to buy, a put the right to sell. When to buy or sell each, with worked examples and the risks.
By Stephen Manning · · 9 min read
POP in options trading means probability of profit: the odds a trade ends at least at breakeven. How brokers calculate it and why high-POP trades still lose.
By Stephen Manning · · 7 min read
Why a stock can rise while your options lose money: IV crush after earnings, time decay, wide bid-ask spreads and timing, with examples and the Greeks.
By Stephen Manning · · 10 min read
Day trading options explained: how leverage cuts both ways, a step-by-step plan, the 1 to 2% risk rule, stop-losses and the discipline most traders skip.
By Stephen Manning · · 11 min read
Options signal and alert services can save research time or teach bad habits. What they get wrong, where they help, and how to judge one before you pay for it.
By Stephen Manning · · 13 min read
Weekly options income on a small account: how covered calls, cash-secured puts and credit spreads pay each week, a step-by-step put example and the risks.
By Stephen Manning · · 13 min read
Theta decay is the value an option loses each day. When time decay speeds up, why it costs buyers, and how sellers collect it weekly or on a 45-day cycle.
By Stephen Manning · · 8 min read
When to take profit on options: how 50% and 80% profit targets work on credit spreads and iron condors, setting GTC orders, and time-based exits.
By Stephen Manning · · 10 min read
Rolling credit spreads explained: when to roll a put credit spread, how to roll out and down for a credit, what a roll adds to your risk, and when to close.