Stock options are a fantastic way to generate extra income. You can profit from one of the fastest growing areas of financial investment in America. The Options Industry Council reports that the number of options contracts traded is already more two billion this year alone, a 250% increase since 2001. This means that there are more opportunities for individual investors



In case you don't know what a stock option is let me explain. Simply, a stock option gives you the right to control the ownership of a stock for a fraction of the price to buy it. There are two types of options; First, a Call Option gives you an option to buy a share of a company for a predetermined price before a predetermined date in the future. The second is a Put Option, which is the option to sell a share of a certain company for a predetermined price before a predetermined date.

As an example if you wanted to buy 100 shares in ABC Company and the shares are priced at $50 each, you would need $5000 to buy those shares. However you could buy 100 Call Options priced at $5 each, with the right to buy ABC Company at $50 any time up to a date in the future (say November 16th) and you would control the same amount of shares for only $500. If the price of ABC Company goes up by $5 and you owned the shares you would have made $500 or 10% on your $5000 investment, however because the Call Options give you the right to buy the shares at $50 and they are now worth $55 the price of the options would go up $5 as well and you would have made $500 or 100% on your $500 investment. This example demonstrates the great leverage stock options provide.

Call Options are used when you expect the price of a stock to rise, if you expect the price of a stock to fall you can buy Put Options, which as mentioned before, give you the right to sell a stock at a predetermined price. So in the example above if the price of ABC shares fell to $45 and we had bought Put Options giving us the right to sell ABC at $50, the Put Options would be worth money because you could buy ABC shares in the market for a cheaper price than you could sell them for. This is a great benefit of options trading, you can make money in an up market or a down market!

To summarize a stock option has four components to it:

1. The underlying stock

The stock that the option is traded on (ABC Company in the example above).

2. The exercise date

The predetermined date, before which, you can use or exercise your option. Options always expire on the third Friday of each month (November 16th in the example above).

3. The strike price

The predetermined price you can buy the stock for ($50 in the example above). 4. The type of option

Either a Call or a Put option.

Now that you know what an option is let me share with you the first key to successful options trading. It is very simple: practice, practice, practice. I cannot stress enough how important practice will be to your success as a stock options trader. Trading options is an inherently risky endeavor, however by learning the keys to successful stock options trading it is possible to mitigate this risk and maximize your gains. Options are a zero sum game, in a zero sum game for every winner there must be a loser. I'm sure you want to be a winner and not a loser, right? If you take the time to learn all there is to know about trading options successfully before you trade with your hard earned money you will be a winner. It is only when you are winning seven out of ten trades on paper and you are confident in your trading plan and money management techniques that you should trade in the market for real. By the time you have finished reading these articles you will have a plan and know just what those money management techniques are. The next article will feature Key #2.

US Government required disclaimer: Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Prior to buying or selling an option, a person must receive a copy of the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Copies of this document may be obtained from your broker, from any exchange on which options are traded or by contacting The Options Clearing Corporation, One North Wacker Dr., Suite 500 Chicago, IL 60606 (1-800-678-4667).