One day and three years
By Stephen Manning · · 4 min read
The shortest trade on our books and one of the longest closed in the same week. They are the same system, and the difference between them is the entire philosophy.
Browse 140+ 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 · · 4 min read
The shortest trade on our books and one of the longest closed in the same week. They are the same system, and the difference between them is the entire philosophy.
By Stephen Manning · · 4 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 Cash Flow University · · 2 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, President, Cash Flow University · · 9 min read
Every asset you own sits in one of two piles. Either it pays you from its own economics, or it pays you when somebody else agrees to buy it. Neither pile is wrong. But confusing the two is how people end up surprised by their own portfolio, and it is where compounding quietly stops working.
By Stephen Manning, President, Cash Flow University · · 5 min read
Both strategies sell premium. Both collect income. But across 1,137 closed trades we use 61 percent of the time we buy on one and 93 percent on the other, and treating them the same is one of the most expensive habits a new trader can have.
By Stephen Manning, President, Cash Flow University ·
A member hit this yesterday: covered calls work fine, but the moment they tried to sell a call against a LEAPS the platform refused. Nothing was wrong with the account. The broker simply does not see that trade as a covered call, and the fix takes one phone call.
By Stephen Manning, President, Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
One in four of our 347 closed put credit spreads needed a roll. This is the anatomy of those 88: when we actually rolled, how much time each roll bought, and the cost almost nobody mentions, which is that 72 of the 88 came out carrying more risk than they went in with.
By Stephen Manning, President, Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
The S&P 500 just set its 23rd record of 2026. Put credit spreads are 31% of every trade we have ever placed, and a record high is the easiest place to get them wrong. Here is what one in four of ours actually needed.
By Stephen Manning, President, Cash Flow University ·
Most guides to put credit spreads are written from theory. This one is written from 347 closed trades in our own record: how far out we open them, how long we actually hold them, how wide they are, and what happened to the one in four that went against us.
By Cash Flow University · · 8 min read
Unrealized equity gains, not car sales, carried much of this quarter. Only one of these companies paired the marks with real cash.
By Stephen Manning ·
Google reports Wednesday. Ignore the headline number — here's the one line that actually matters, and the pattern behind the whole AI buildout.
By Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
Five simple rules for building lasting wealth, backed by BEA, Federal Reserve, Fidelity, and DALBAR data plus real stories from students and my own accounts.
By Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
I break down five concrete differences between the AI boom and the 2000 dot‑com bubble — four favor today, one is a real risk to watch.
By Cash Flow University · · 10 min read
I strip the hype from space investing and show how to find companies turning orbital infrastructure into repeatable cash flow — with concrete metrics and a simple checklist.
By Cash Flow University · · 9 min read
I expose the five repeatable mistakes retail options traders make in 2026—and the precise 5-step process I use to stop bleeding P&L and generate consistent cash flow.
By Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
I lost $696 on a covered call on IBIT in November 2025. The trade taught three rules I now enforce: structure to the asset, calendar awareness, and defined exits.
By Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
I lay out a 5-step, defined-risk put credit spread playbook with real numbers, exact entries/exits, and management rules for reliable cash flow.
By Cash Flow University · · 9 min read
I show how I generate weekly cash from stocks I already own using covered calls, with step-by-step rules, real examples, and risk controls for 2026 markets.
By Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
I show a repeatable cash-secured put process that pays you while you wait to buy stocks you actually want — with concrete numbers and simple rules.
By Cash Flow University · · 8 min read
I show how a strict 2% position-sizing rule limits drawdowns, removes emotion, and lets options strategies compound while keeping your account intact.
By Cash Flow University · · 6 min read
I explain implied volatility, IV crush, and a simple IV-percentile filter that shifts the edge to sellers and builds repeatable options income.
By Cash Flow University · · 6 min read
I show how to flip theta decay into cash flow with cash‑secured puts, covered calls, and put credit spreads—plus the 45/21 rule and real numbers.
By Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
Implied volatility drives your option pricing and your P&L—learn how to read it, avoid IV crush, and sell premium with defined risk for consistent cash flow.
By Cash Flow University · · 6 min read
I break down exactly when a long call belongs in your playbook, how to size it, and the mistakes that turn smart asymmetry into weekly lottery tickets.
By Cash Flow University · · 9 min read
I show exactly how I build and manage iron condors in 2026—entries, exits, risk rules, and real SPY numbers—to turn sideways markets into consistent premium.
By Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
The 6 chart levels I use to structure high‑probability options trades—trend, zones, MAs, volume, IV vs HV, and the implied move filter.
By Cash Flow University · · 7 min read
I show exactly how I sell call credit spreads—strike selection, timing, credits, and exits—to generate consistent income in bearish to neutral markets.
By Cash Flow University · · 11 min read
How I sell covered calls in 2026—my strike, expiration, filtering rules, and trade management—to generate weekly cash flow on stocks I already own.
By Cash Flow University · · 10 min read
I break down the put credit spread—setup, strikes, risk, and management—with a real SPY example and rules I use for consistent, defined-risk cash flow.
By Cash Flow University · · 9 min read
My $500 options starter plan: brokers, cash‑secured puts or credit spreads, 30–45 DTE, disciplined sizing, and reinvested premiums that compound without blowups.