Break-Even or Better Strategy
The Break-Even or Better strategy is designed to either (1) show a profit for
the year or, (2) at least, show no loss.
How:
A portfolio invested in 1 year Treasury bills, purchased at a discount and
maturing at face value provides the cash, through the interest earned, to purchase attractively
priced options.
Results:
Best case: If an investor is good at picking the right options on the right stocks
that rise or fall a good distance during the life of the options, the profits
can be significant. And the investor gets to reinvest the interest.
Worst case: The interest earned on the maturing Treasury bills offset the option losses.
Advantages:
Leverage and truncated risk (no margin calls; no short squeezes). No fuss, no muss.
Heads you win, tails you get your money back.
Sort of like visiting a casino that pays off if you win or returns your bets if
you lose. Not bad.
Caveat:
In an inflationary era, simply holding the same number of dollars over any period
of time constitutes a real loss of capital. Capital value hinges on
purchasing power and, as purchasing power erodes, so does capital.
That being said, I'm sure, at the end of some years, there are more than a few investors that wouldn't mind being in a break-even or better
position. Know what I mean?
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