Cabot Options Institute Fundamentals - All-Weather Portfolio – Alert (VTI)
Vanguard Total Stock Market (VTI)
We currently own the VTI January 19, 2024, 145 call LEAPS contract at $54.50. You must own LEAPS in order to use this strategy.
Based on our approach, the LEAPS contract that works best is the one with a delta of 0.80: currently the January 17, 2025, 160 calls. We typically initiate a LEAPS position, with a delta of roughly 0.80, that has about 18 to 24 months left until expiration.
Here is the trade:
Buy to close VTI March 17, 2023, 210 call for roughly $0.25 (adjust accordingly, prices may vary from time of alert)
Once that occurs (or if you are new to the position and already own LEAPS):
Sell to open VTI April 21, 2023, 210 call for roughly $1.55 (adjust accordingly, prices may vary from time of alert)
Premium received: 2.8%
Once the initial LEAPS purchase occurs, we maintain the position and focus on selling near-term call premium against our LEAPS, lowering the original cost basis of $54.50 (or the price at which you purchased your LEAPS) with each and every transaction.
We can continue to sell calls against our LEAPS contract every month or so to lower the total capital outlay. But remember, options have a limited life, so when we get closer to the LEAPS contract’s expiration, we will simply sell the contract and use the proceeds to continue our poor man’s covered call strategy in VTI.
Dogs of the Dow Alert (JPM, AMGN, WBA)
JPMorgan (JPM)
We currently own the JPM January 17, 2025, 100 call LEAPS contract at $46.20. You must own LEAPS in order to use this strategy.
If you are new to the position, based on our approach, the LEAPS contract that works best is the one with a current delta of 0.80: the January 17, 2025, 105 calls. We typically initiate a LEAPS position, with a delta of roughly 0.80, that has about 18 to 24 months left until expiration.
JPM is currently trading for 139.27.
Here is the trade:
Buy to close the JPM March 17, 2023, 145 call for roughly $0.35 (adjust accordingly, prices may vary from time of alert)
Once that occurs (or if you are new to the position and already own LEAPS):
Sell to open JPM April 21, 2023, 145 call for roughly $2.17 (adjust accordingly, prices may vary from time of alert)
Premium received: 4.7%
Once the initial LEAPS purchase occurs, we maintain the position and focus on selling near-term call premium against our LEAPS, lowering the original cost basis of $46.20 (or the price at which you purchased your LEAPS) with each and every transaction.
We can continue to sell calls against our LEAPS contract every month or so to lower the total capital outlay. But remember, options have a limited life, so when we get closer to the LEAPS contract’s expiration, we will simply sell the contract and use the proceeds to continue our poor man’s covered call strategy in JPM.
Amgen (AMGN)
We currently own the AMGN January 17, 2025, 200 call LEAPS contract at $81.35. You must own LEAPS in order to use this strategy.
If you are new to the position, based on our approach, the LEAPS contract that works best is the one with a current delta of 0.80: the January 17, 2025, 170 calls. We typically initiate a LEAPS position, with a delta of roughly 0.80, that has about 18 to 24 months left until expiration.
AMGN is currently trading for 230.01.
Here is the trade:
Buy to close the AMGN March 17, 2023, 250 call for roughly $0.20 (adjust accordingly, prices may vary from time of alert)
Once that occurs (or if you are new to the position and already own LEAPS):
Sell to open AMGN April 21, 2023, 240 call for roughly $2.80 (adjust accordingly, prices may vary from time of alert)
Premium received: 3.4%
Once the initial LEAPS purchase occurs, we maintain the position and focus on selling near-term call premium against our LEAPS, lowering the original cost basis of $81.35 (or the price at which you purchased your LEAPS) with each and every transaction.
We can continue to sell calls against our LEAPS contract every month or so to lower the total capital outlay. But remember, options have a limited life, so when we get closer to the LEAPS contract’s expiration, we will simply sell the contract and use the proceeds to continue our poor man’s covered call strategy in AMGN.
An alternative way to approach a poor man’s covered call, if you are a bit more bullish on the stock, is to buy two LEAPS for every call sold. This way you can benefit from the additional upside past your chosen short strike, yet still participate in the benefits of selling premium.
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA)
We currently own the WBA January 17, 2025, 25 call LEAPS contract at $11.10. You must own LEAPS in order to use this strategy.
If you are new to the position, based on our approach, the LEAPS contract that works best is the one with a current delta of 0.80: the January 17, 2025, 25 calls. We typically initiate a LEAPS position, with a delta of roughly 0.80, that has about 18 to 24 months left until expiration.
WBA is currently trading for 36.21.
Here is the trade:
Buy to close the WBA March 17, 2023, 37.5 call for roughly $0.04 (adjust accordingly, prices may vary from time of alert)
Once that occurs (or if you are new to the position and already own LEAPS):
Sell to open WBA April 14, 2023, 36 call for roughly $0.83 (adjust accordingly, prices may vary from time of alert)
Premium received: 7.5%
Once the initial LEAPS purchase occurs, we maintain the position and focus on selling near-term call premium against our LEAPS, lowering the original cost basis of $11.10 (or the price at which you purchased your LEAPS) with each and every transaction.
We can continue to sell calls against our LEAPS contract every month or so to lower the total capital outlay. But remember, options have a limited life, so when we get closer to the LEAPS contract’s expiration, we will simply sell the contract and use the proceeds to continue our poor man’s covered call strategy in WBA.
And, as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at andy@cabotwealth.com.
