Grind net cost basis toward zero through premium collection. Once at zero, shares are free — hold indefinitely.
If called away
Shares sold at strike price. You keep all premium collected. Profit = (strike - net cost basis) × shares + all CC premium.
Rolling
If price approaches strike near expiry and you want to keep shares, buy to close and sell a new call at a higher strike or later date.
Earnings
Never sell CCs through earnings. Close or let expire before the announcement. Post-earnings volatility crush works in your favour for new CCs.
Timing
Sell CCs on green days when IV is elevated. Avoid selling on big red days when premium is thin.
Dividend capture + covered calls
Open trades
Ticker
Shares
Buy price
CC strike
CC premium
Dividend
Ex-date
Est. profit
Return
Closed trades
#
Ticker
Buy price
Sell price
CC prem
Dividend
Total P&L
Return
Days held
Dividend Capture Rules ▼
Strategy
Buy shares before ex-dividend date. Sell ATM/ITM covered call. Collect dividend + call premium. If called away, total profit = CC premium + dividend - share loss.
Timing
Buy shares 1-5 days before ex-dividend date. Sell CC same day or next day. Target 7-14 DTE on the call.
Strike selection
ATM or slightly ITM. You WANT to be called away. The goal is total return (premium + dividend), not holding the shares.
Target return
2-4% total return in 7-14 days. CC premium + dividend must exceed any share loss if called at strike.
Profit calculation
CC premium + dividend - (buy price - call strike) × shares. If call strike ≥ buy price, there's no share loss.
Earnings rule
Never enter a dividend capture if earnings fall between entry and call expiry. Earnings volatility can wipe the setup.
Position size
Max $10,000 per dividend capture trade. Keep separate from CSP collateral budget.
Good candidates
High-yield stocks with stable prices: PFE, T, VZ, MO, BMY, XOM, CVX. Look for $0.30+ dividend per share with CC premium covering any ITM risk.
LEAP positions
#
Ticker
Strike
Expiry
Contracts
Cost
Value
P&L
Status
LEAP Rules ▼
Funding
Only fund LEAPs with realised CSP profits. Never dip into core CSP capital.
Max positions
3 active LEAPs maximum.
Expiry
Minimum 12 months out. ATM strikes preferred for maximum delta exposure.
Budget
Scales with stock price. Don't overpay — wait for red days and elevated IV for entry.
Priority list
NVO → UBER → DIS → NOW → XYZ
Watchlist
UBER $80c Jun27 ~$1,380 (wait for UBER <$74). DIS $100c Jan28 ~$1,300. NOW $90c Jan28 ~$1,000. XYZ $65c Jan28 ~$800.
Exit
Take profit at 50-100% gain. Cut loss at 50% drawdown. Never hold below 90 DTE — time decay accelerates.
SPX bull put spreads (7DTE ATM)
Entry checklist
5 SMA > 10 SMA?
VIX: — (must be <30)
→ Short strike:—Long strike:—
Open spreads
Date
SPX
Short
Long
Expiry
DTE
Qty
Credit
Max risk
Status
Closed spreads
#
Date
Short
Long
Expiry
Qty
Credit
Result
P&L
SPX Spread Rules ▼
Structure
Bull put spread: sell ATM put, buy put $5 below. 7 DTE. Max risk $500/contract minus credit.
Entry conditions
5 SMA > 10 SMA. SPX above 20 SMA. VIX below 30. Min $1.00 credit.
Strike calc
Short strike = SPX price × 0.985, rounded to nearest $5. Long strike = short - $5.
Size
1 contract per week. Max 2 open at once.
Management
Let expire if OTM. Close at 50% profit if available early. Close immediately if SPX breaks below long strike.
New SPX Spread
Closed trade log
#
Ticker
Strike
Expiry
Credit
P&L
Return
Status
Performance Rules ▼
Target win rate
85%+ on CSPs. Below 80% = review strike selection and entry timing.
Target return per trade
1.0-1.5% on collateral per CSP. Below 0.8% = premiums too thin, check VIX.
Assignment rate
Target <10% of trades. If higher, strikes are too aggressive or entry timing is wrong.
Monthly review
Review all closed trades at month end. Calculate: win rate, avg return, total premium, avg DTE, worst trade, best trade.
Losing streak protocol
3 losses in a row = pause for 1 week. Review entries. Check if market regime changed. Resume only when conditions normalise.
Scale up trigger
3 consecutive months of 85%+ win rate and >1% avg return = increase position count or collateral per trade.
ANIMA Trades — what we're trading today
Strategy guide — how we trade
CSPCash-Secured PutSELL PUT
We sell a put option on a stock we'd be happy to own at a lower price. The buyer pays us a premium upfront. If the stock stays above our strike price, the put expires worthless and we keep the premium as pure profit. If the stock drops below the strike, we buy 100 shares at that price — but we wanted to own it anyway, and the premium we collected reduces our cost basis.
Why it works: 80%+ of options expire worthless. We're the house, not the gambler. We collect income every week by selling insurance on stocks we already like.
Our rules: Only sell on red days. Only on stocks with earnings behind them. Strike chosen by structure and premium, not a fixed % OTM. Max 7 open positions. Tier A names: NVO, UBER, DXCM, PYPL, XYZ, CARR, ABT.
We buy shares just before the ex-dividend date and simultaneously sell a covered call slightly above our buy price. We collect three income streams: the dividend payment, the call premium, and any share price appreciation up to the strike. After the call expires or shares get called away, we exit the position.
Why it works: Triple income on one position. Target 2-4% return in 7-14 days. The covered call hedges downside from the post-dividend price drop. We target large-cap dividend stocks with stable prices: PFE, T, VZ, MO, BMY, XOM, SBUX.
Our rules: Always sell OTM covered calls (learned from PFE early assignment lesson). No earnings within the holding period. Position size max £5K per trade.
LEAPLong-Term Equity AnticipationBUY CALL
We buy call options 12+ months out on our highest conviction stocks. This gives us leveraged upside — a $490 LEAP on NVO controls $4,500 worth of shares. If the stock rises 30%, the LEAP might rise 100-200%. If we're wrong, we lose the premium paid, but nothing more.
Why it works: Asymmetric risk/reward. Small outlay, outsized upside on stocks we have strong conviction in. The long expiry gives time for the thesis to play out without worrying about short-term volatility.
Our rules: Funded only from CSP and SPX profits — never from core capital. ATM strike, 12+ month expiry. Max 3 active LEAPs at any time. Current watchlist: UBER $80c, DIS $100c, NOW $90c.
CCCovered CallSELL CALL
When a CSP gets assigned and we own 100 shares, we sell call options above our cost basis. This generates income while we wait for the stock to recover. If the stock rises to the call strike, our shares get "called away" (sold) at a profit. If it stays below, the call expires and we keep the premium and sell another one.
Why it works: We're getting paid to wait. An assigned position that might otherwise sit there losing money becomes an income-generating machine. Each call premium reduces our effective cost basis further.
Our rules: Never sell calls below cost basis (NKE lesson — cost basis $51.47, only sell CCs above this). Sell on green days when premiums are rich. Close early at 80%+ profit if possible.