Paypal (PYPL)

I own 100 shares of PayPal at a cost basis of $90.87 - These shares were part of a Buy-Write strategy I have implemented several times in 2024.

Every week I usually sell the 91C, and close out when the position has gained 80% or more. This week, the 91C netted $19.94; and next week’s 91C is currently sitting at an 81% gain of $43.

The shares are currently down $700 or so but my long-term outlook for PayPal is bullish because you have a company that’s buying shares back aggressively, has a strong balance sheet, and is still growing!

Over the last few days the stock has been selling off due to people being worried about Tariffs and the overall economic outlook, but these are just speed bumps on the road and will present great buying opportunities in the near future if we dip further down.

My plan for this position:

Continue selling Covered Calls that are close to my cost basis and Sell Cash Secured Puts if we head down further into the high $60s or low $70s. The CCs will prevent me from going in the red on the position if there is a sharp move to the upside, and the CSPs will help me average down the position and continue to collect premium.

Robinhood (HOOD)

I own 200 shares of Robinhood in different options selling accounts, 1 is at a cost basis of $39.24 and the other is at $42.45 - This is a great stock for Selling Options on because it’s not too expensive and can provide lots of premium for it’s price point.

This week I sold the 39.5C, and the 42.5C for a total profit of $50.81. Next week’s positions are the 43C and the 40C and they’re sitting at a paper loss right now. Every week I usually sell a few different options that are close to my cost basis for the stock (See the pattern here?).

A paper loss on options I sold doesn’t matter to me because if the shares get called away, I’m forced to sell them above my cost basis so I will make a profit either way. Sure it might not be as much profit as it could have been if everything goes 100% according to plan (usually never does), but nobody goes broke making profits.

This stock is a great long term hold, so I’ve got some shares I don’t sell options on. But with a steady stream of upgrades, constant innovation from the management team, and a seemingly bullish outlook for crypto I think Robinhood’s a winner for the next few years.

My plan for this position:

Continue to Sell CCs close to my cost basis (1 or 2 strikes above), and aggressively Sell CSPs if we dip below $35. If we get a dip into the $20s I would sell long-dated CSPs (20P for 2027 or 2028) because I think there would be no way this stock trades at that price over the next 3-5years.

Celsius (CELH)

I own 200 shares of Celsius at $29.44 and 300 shares at $30.89. Two different accounts because I haven’t consolidated them yet (working on it!). These shares were also part of a buy-write I did when I saw how drastically Investors were dumping this company.

This week I sold the 29.5C and the 31C for a total gain of $46.57. Next week’s positions are the exact same - 31C (3 contracts) and the 29.5C (2 contracts). Currently, both positions are sitting at gain of $171.

Because the outlook on this company hasn’t really flipped bullish yet, I’m one the side of caution and will continue to Sell Covered Calls that are close to the cost basis. This stock is an absolute dog…but I think the worst of the worst is already priced in. Pepsi had originally ordered too much product and that caused the rapid growth you saw back in early 2024.

Once investors realized this, they began dumping the company and people panicked when they realized that the growth wasn’t coming back. I believe that the stock is severely oversold and should trade back up to the mid $30s once they start to post some growth in their earnings.

My plan for this position:

Although the premium from this stock is great, I would much rather prefer to have liquid capital to deploy at better companies. I plan on aggressively Selling CCs to get out of this position. If it drops to the low $20s I will pick up a few shares via CSPs to lower the cost basis and then sell CCs to get out.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)

I own 100 shares at a cost basis of $126.21. This is a newer stock that I purchased because it’s been severely beaten down and oversold, while also maintaining great fundamentals.

This week I sold the 127C for a total gain of $87.94. Next week’s position is the exact same strike price, and it’s currently at a total gain of $91.

This company is an absolute beast but it gets a bad rep because of Nvidia…Their data center revenues are accelerating and the stock is dropping because it’s not posting numbers that Nvidia is doing (no other company is growing that fast!).

After a wave of downgrades, AMD is beaten down. This is the perfect stock to Sell Options on - You want something that has a great outlook for the next 3-5years, has a solid balance sheet, and capable management.

My plan for this position:

I’m continuing to sell Covered Calls on the stock, but starting to wait a couple of days into the week to see where the stock is trending before I sell anything (will probably close the position I have on Monday and re-assess). I’d prefer to keep this stock because there’s lots of appreciation to gain. If the price dips below $100 I will continue to Sell Puts and build the share count.

SoFi Technologies (SOFI)

I own 400 shares of SOFI at a cost basis of $15.82, and 3500 shares at a cost basis of $7.98 in my large account (tied up in CCs that expire in March). I’ve been buying this stock since it was back in the $4-8 range for the last 2 years, and I can confidently say that the company’s best days are yet to come.

This week I sold a few different options on SOFI for a total gain of $130.18— I sold 4, 16Cs (+$85.57), a 13.5P ($+17.87), and 4, 14Ps (+$26.74). The calls were from the previous week so they benefited greatly from the decline, and all puts were sold when the stock had dropped after the economic data was released mid-week.

The company just posted their 4th consecutive profitable quarter, and has continued to build out their ecosystem to cross sell clients on various different financial products. The challenging times are in the past and with accelerated profitability I’m a long term holder for this stock. Analyst downgrades are buying opportunities because they likely don’t see the potential for this stock and are thinking very short term.

My plan for this position:

I’ll sell CSPs aggressively under $13 in hopes of being assigned. For the smaller account, I’m willing to take assignment and sell those shares above my cost basis. For the larger account with 3500 shares, I’ll likely dump the covered calls if SOFI drops close to my breakeven point, otherwise I will roll the position when we’re at expiration.

Hims and Hers (HIMS)

I own 100 shares at a cost basis of $26.59. This stock was part of a recent buy-write back in late 2024, and one that is great to sell options on because of the premium.

This week I sold the 27C and the 25.5P for a total gain of $65.82. I got lucky here because I bought back the put in the middle of the week before the stock dropped a bit and avoided assignment. I’m not opposed to owning more shares, but in an environment where good news is bad news, I’d prefer to have cash on hand.

Next week I’ve sold the 27C which is sitting at +25%. I will likely let this one expire in the money to free up some capital if it gets close to that price, otherwise I’ll let it expire worthless and collect the full $108. The company’s starting to grow and build their presence; it is sensitive to healthcare headlines but they’ve got a lot of marketshare they can gain and are starting to develop a cult fanbase.

My plan for this position:

I’ll sell CSPs on this position if the stock price dips below $23, but otherwise will let my shares get called away. I like the stock, but I don’t love it. It’s great to squeeze premium out of, but can be very volatile.

Hedges (SQQQ, SOXS, UVXY)

Because we’ve climbed so high within the last 2 years, I’m a big fan of hedging my portfolio. While I do think Trump should be a plus for our economy, I know it’s not going to be a straight path up. Much of the S&P500’s gains have come from the Mag7 which leads me to believe that most other companies/businesses aren’t in such a great spot.

To be safe I’ve bought a few different hedges and here’s why:

SQQQ — 3x Short on QQQ, own 200 shares with a cost basis of 31.48

• Since 2022, tech stocks have gone on an insane run and there needs to be a pullback

• Instead of hedging with Options only, I bought shares of this ETF which benefits when tech stocks go down and I sell options on my position.

• The premiums are great because downward moves are usually aggressive, but that means that this stock has +10% days up and down so you have to time it right — My secret is that any time this ETF is under $30, I will pick up 100 shares and sell an ATM Covered Call on them

• Last week’s profits were $119.74 from Selling 31.5CCs (twice in 1 week!) Next week’s strike is the same, and it should expire worthless

• CSPs are also lucrative on this position but it all comes down to timing. The 28P helped bring in $17.94 in profits

UVXY — Short VIX Futures ETF, own 100 shares with a cost basis of $23.38

• When markets are aggressively reacting to news, there are usually large downward swings which increases the overall volatility and that causes UVXY to increase in value

• Although I usually don’t like to buy UVXY over $22/share, this was part of a last minute buy-write where I sold the 23.5C that expired the same-day and netted $45. The same position is being sold for next week, it’s currently a paper-loss

• I don’t think we’re out of the woods with volatility yet so I’m planning on hanging onto these shares and Selling CCs/CSPs in the meantime

SOXS —3X Short on Semiconductors, own 100 shares with a cost basis of $22.66

• This position started looking attractive when everyone was feeling very bubbly about NVDA and other semi’s

• This ETF is very volatile like the rest of them, but it’s best to purchase this one when we’re close to $17-20/share

• Last week it brought it $24.87 in profits from the 23C. The same position is sold for the next week and should be bringing in $40 at the minimum

Closing Remarks/ Things to Look Out For:

1. The outlook for the next few weeks seems a bit confusing with rate cuts and economic data, so I would be looking to build a solid cash position

2. You will never go wrong picking solid companies, people who sell options on bad companies are usually the ones that panic; You must know what you hold

3. To do well in this market you must be stoic and shouldn’t be attached to any companies. Invest based on fundamentals, not feelings