Options Education : Opinion versus Fact!
The most basic aspect of trading is learning to differentiate between what is FACTUAL and what is OPINION. If you stay interested in the financial markets long enough you will discover that there are a lot of sharks out there who have become expert at making that task very difficult.
Several subscribers of this newsletter have contacted me over the last few weeks asking for my opinion of certain promoters who also advocate Options Trading Strategies. I make it a point to not comment on other services. However, without mentioning any names I feel that it is necessary to inform you of some of the most common and deceptive practices used by some promoters.
One of the great appeals to Options trading is that there are so many possibilities and trading strategies that can be used to manage risk. However, most services when promoting options like to demonstrate the tremendous REWARDS that are achievable. Although tremendous gain is possible, options are considered speculative instruments and potentially very risky in untrained hands. Since an Option gives the owner the right to buy or sell something for a specific period of time the OPTION is considered to be a deteriorating asset. Since all options have an expiration date, if all things are considered equal, the closer you get to that expiration date the less that the option will be worth.
There is an abundance of literature available on OPTIONS written primarily for locating and marketing to the GREEDY INVESTOR. One promoter who charges over $3,500 for his seminars on Options Education touts that investors in his seminars earn returns in excess of several thousand percent per year! He provides and documents several real time examples and shows how some traders made a 12,000% annualized return. (Just in case you thought that was a typo that is twelve thousand percent!)
My statistics teacher in college used to say that "The figures don't lie, but liars figure." Listen Up....because if you don't learn how to read the fine print that these deceitful promoters espouse you too will make those types of returns but probably won't be able to pay your rent!
Most traders enter into the financial markets seeking that ONE home run trade that will permit them to check out of the rat race. Knowing this FACT deceitful promoters arm themselves with examples that will lead you right into their arms. Here is a common example of their con in action:
Let's say that you purchased an OPTION at $1 per share. On that very same day the market moved in your direction and you were capable of selling that option at $1.50 per share. Since Option contracts are all standardized sizes of 100 shares your net profit before commissions would be $50. You also would have established a profit of 50%. This is a great return considering that most money managers earn 15% a year!
To determine your Return on Investment you only need to divide your net profit by your initial investment. In this instance you had a 50 cent profit per share on an initial investment of $1 per share.
Now the promoters bait the hook....... Even though your profit was $50, your return on investment was 50%. This is indeed factual. Think of how EASY it was to earn that return, after all you did it in only one day! So since there are 365 days in a year, to calculate an annualized return we would multiply 50% times 365. The result is a staggering return of 18,250%. (Now if your stomach is turning by this type of deceit, GOOD!)
I offer you the MATH below:
Buy Price 1
Sell Price 1.5
Profit $0.5000
Gross Profit $50.00
% Return 50%
# of Days 1
# of periods in a year (365 days) 365
Initial $ Investment $100.00
Net Profit $50.00
Annualized Return 18,250%
Now what infuriates me about these promoters is how successful they are at providing the public with this type of "financial snake oil!" One promoter in particular has actually written a best-selling book on options that is filled with these types of misleading and deceitful computations. Hard to believe but an 18,250% return will barely pay for the price of the book!
Although this is a technical point. many of you have probably realized that the above example is further complicated by the fact that the financial markets are not open 365 days a year. If you take weekends and holidays into account you literally only have 252 days to play with. So the more mathematically oriented con men would offer you the following calculation:
Buy 1
Sell 1.5
Profit $0.5000
Gross Profit $50.00
% Return 50%
# of Days 1
# of periods in a year (252 days) 252
Net Profit $50.00
Annualized Return 12,600%
Hey 12,600% annualized return...sure beats those low yielding MUTUAL FUNDS!
Now, I wish I was making this stuff up, but my mailbox is filled everyday with variations of these examples. No mention is ever made of the fact that your profit BEFORE commissions was $50 bucks which is not bad and might pay for DINNER out on the town.
This may seem extremely elementary and basic to many of you. However, I have seen many extremely successful individuals taken in by this type of deceit. I think you'll agree that although the numbers are accurate they are completely unrealistic and the INTENTIONS of the promoters are what is in question. Nonetheless, you'd be surprised how many $3,500 seminars the above example will SELL.
The financial markets only require one thing of you if you are to be successful and that is that you manage your risk on each and every trade. THERE IS NO OTHER SECRET. In my own trading I must admit that it took me years to learn how to TAKE a LOSS. Once I learned how to lose and accept it as part of doing business my trading dramatically improved. Although I consider this to be among the most profound truths that I have learned regarding trading I readily recognize that it is nowhere near as marketable as promoting 18,250% returns. Or was that 12,600%? After all 50 bucks IS 50 bucks!
Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between FACT and OPINION. In those instances I heed the words of the great Yogi Berra, "You can observe a lot by just looking." Nuff said.
Next article I'll get back to LOW RISK trading ideas in these high risk markets.
Study away.....and remember, let's be careful out there!
Dowjonesfully,
-Harald Anderson
http://www.eOptionsTrader.com.
Harald Anderson is the founder and Chief Analyst of eOptionsTrader.com a leading online resource of Options Trading Information. He writes regularly for financial publications on Risk Management and Trading Strategies. His goal in life is to become the kind of person that his dog already thinks he is. http://www.eOptionsTrader.com.
Latest News
 New York Times | Microsoft's Ballmer to CES: keep investing in tech despite ... Scientific American - Las Vegas , NEV. -- In his first ever CES keynote, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer yesterday acknowledged the tough economic times, but urged companies not to ... Microsoft: the year ahead Microsoft releases Windows Server 2008 R2 beta Windows 7 beta available worldwide on Friday |
 Wealth Bulletin | How to avoid a Madoff fund San Francisco Chronicle, USA - Feeder-funds (hedge funds or funds that do all their investing through another fund) and funds-of- funds sold investment services to individuals, ... Fund-of-Hedge Funds Lacked Technology to Avoid Madoff Losses D Bank declined offers to invest with Madoff |
 Express from The Washington Post | The Best Investment Values in a Decade Motley Fool - These days, we're presented with what Ron Muhlenkamp a few months ago called "the best investment values we've seen in a decade." Obviously, the market has ... You Are About to Make a Bad Investment The Flight to Safety Could Burn You Wednesday's Biggest Stock Stars |
 Dividend.com | Billionaire investor places next supermarket bet MarketWatch - Yucaipa's investment funds have been aggressive buyers of Whole Foods shares since Nov. 24, spending a net $98 million to amass the stake. ... Activist shareholder buys 7 percent stake in Whole Foods Billionaire investor Burkle bets on Whole Foods |
Thomas, McNerney & Partners Promotes Three Members of Its ... PR Newswire (press release), NY - Thomas, McNerney & Partners is a health care venture capital firm with approximately $600 million under management, focused on investing in life science and ... |
 Markets Media News | Uma Thurman No Help to Arpad Busson in Madoff Fraud’s Nightmare Bloomberg - In mid-December, EIM disclosed it was one of at least a dozen funds of funds caught up in the massive alleged fraud perpetrated by New York investment ... Hedge funds' year is worst ever, and fall may continue Blackstone To Rationalize Single Manager Hedge Funds Businesses In ... Hedge Funds Meet Their Match |
US investment in IT would create jobs, group says ITworld.com, MA - by Grant Gross A US$30 billion investment by the US government in broadband, health IT and smart energy grids would create or retain nearly a million jobs, ... New ITIF Report Documents How $30 Billion IT Stimulus Package ... $30B IT Stimulus Will Create Almost 1 Million Jobs |
 guardian.co.uk | Learning from Madoff's Ponzi scheme WKOW-TV.com, WI - Another important lesson from the Madoff Ponzi scandal is that investing money successfully also requires some homework on your part. "If you're investing ... Video: Congress Sounds Off Against SEC in Madoff Affair Why financial experts and laymen keep falling for pyramid schemes Be prepared, guard against financial scams |
Invesco Fund Loss Stirs Investor Fears Wall Street Journal - By DIYA GULLAPALLI 'Stable-value" investment funds have been one of the last havens in employee-retirement accounts. But one, advised by money manager ... |
Appleseed Fund Ranked by Lipper as Top Performing Midcap Value ... CNNMoney.com - "Since the Appleseed Fund's inception, we've shown it's possible to outperform the market by investing in companies with strong sustainability records and ... |
Resources
-
No Money Down - Creative Real Estate Investing!
Learn how to control real estate Without credit checks and no money down! You can Buy With No Credit!
-
real estate foreclosures- home69
Proven real estate Investing course specializing in foreclosures and pre-forclosures.
-
Real Estate Investing
How To Start And Run Your Own outrageously Profitable Fixer-Upper Business In As Little As 45 Days, even If You Can
-
Foreclosures - Real Estate Investing - Short Sales.
Learn about foreclosures and real estate Investing techniques like short sales and subject to financing
-
Online Trading for Financial Freedom - stock daytrading strategy.
Stock index trading strategy for beginning and experienced traders alike.
-
Real Estate Investing - Foreclosures
How To Start And Run Your Own outrageously Profitable Fixer-Upper Business In As Little As 45 Days, even If You Can
-
Real Estate Investing Course for Profits in Investing
Real estate Investing course reveals proven real estate Investing strategies using Lease Options and Creative Financing where you can earn big money Investing in real estate with no down and no credit
-
Make money stock trading, day trading, Investing and trading options like the pros!
Turn $200 into $4,630 in 30 days by trading options online from your home PC. Step by step instructions for novices or investment pros. Make money stock trading, day trading, Investing and trading options like the pros!
-
Make real money Investing in real estate by Lou Vukas
Lou Vukas gives you the insider secrets to making real money in real estate regardless of your credit, finances or location at realestatefortunes.com.
-
Real Estate Investing
eBook on Real Estate Investing and Real Estate Marketing