The Cheapest Stock Discount Trading Fees

By Charles Benedict

Stock broker commissions are becoming cheaper and cheaper. The choices are also expanding so look for competition to continually bring prices down. This is good for us, but there are so many choices to choose from. Here are a few you might want to look into.

OptionsHouse made a splash with their less than three dollars stock trade. If there is a cost that's as close to nothing as possible, this is the broker that you should choose.

Zecco came out with free stock trades, but then it changed its rules again and again. These days, you only get 10 free trades if you have more than $25,000 in assets or if you trade 25 times or more a month.

OptionsXpress must be making a lot of money off customers because their trading commissions are highest of the bunch. It's $14.95 for most people and $12.95 for high volume traders. Pretty expensive right?

Wells Trade is totally integrated with Wells Fargo so it's easy if you are a Wells Fargo customer. If you have $25,000, you get 100 free trades. Otherwise, it's $19.95 so only use this option if you have the funds.

The highest rated deep discount stock broker is TradeKing. The commission is $4.95 a trade and continues to be one of the cheapest per trade price out there.

I love Etrade because of their user interface. Even though the stock commission is $9.99 and $12.99 in some cases, it is still at the top of my list of recommended stock brokers.

Scottrade thrives on their customer support, and it also has the most branches. The stock commission is $7 a trade and it's middle of the road in terms of prices.

TradeMonster is relatively new but they are endorsed by Guy Adami and the Najarian Boys on Fast Money. People love OptionsMonster (which they also own) so I would check it out just based on that alone.

The highest end stock broker in this list is Charles Schwab. While stock trades are $12.99, they do offer a 2% cash back credit card which makes up for some of the stock commissions.

TD Ameritrade isn't that great but it works. The less than ten dollar trade was a first of its kind. They also advertise no hidden fees although there's a fee if you transfer your account away from them. - 23309

About the Author:

I love my account at Scottrade review. Too bad there weren't any Scottrade promotion code when I signed up or else I would really be jumping around.

Discover Why Typical Covered Call Writing Strategies Don't Work In A Declining Stock Market

By Marc Abrams

Many websites and e-books on investment training strategies promise you incredible things. Writing Covered call options on stock is one of the most popular trading strategies taught today. These websites promise that you can earn up to 10% monthly returns using that very strategy. Sound good? Read on.

Under the right circumstances, impressive monthly returns can be achieved by selling out-of-the-money covered call options. This strategy has been successfully used by me. However, it is not without its disadvantages. The public has not been properly educated by the website and e-book marketers. This strategy is marketed as having low risk and being conservative. They leave you holding the bag when it all goes wrong.

Selling out-of-the-money covered calls works when the stock market is going up in value. Additionally, when the stock market is neutral (not going up or down by any meaningful amount), this strategy also works well. I don't know about you, but when was the last time the stock market traded sideways for any length of time?

We are currently in the midst of an extremely volatile market. We have recently seen swings in the Dow as much as 200 points in either direction on any given day. Hardly a profitable market for an out-of-the-money covered call writer. Once that stock you are holding starts to decline, so do your profits. I can assure you that profits can evaporate very quickly. I have seen stocks fall from $10 per share to $1 per share over night! There is never enough premium on an option sale to cover that kind of decline.

The key to out-of-the-money covered call writing is to select stocks that will get called. Many so called experts do not want the stock to get called. They want you to keep the stock so you can sell a covered call option on it the next month. This strategy is flawed. You need to select stocks that are trending up in value, hence, a rising market. Those stocks will make you the most money. If the stock gets called, I know I ended up making my maximum anticipated return.

What happens if the stock goes way up in value? The stock simply gets called away if it rises up past the strike price and stays there through expiration. Isn't that what you wanted in the first place? Because you did not participate in those gains you may feel like you left money on the table. If you feel that way just buy the stock outright and don't sell covered call options on it. Why not just let the stock get called away, take your profit and move on? Then look for stocks to buy and sell calls on for the next month.

Remember, selling out-of-the-money covered calls can provide an excellent source if income in a rising stock market. However, this strategy is less than ideal in a stock market like the one we find ourselves in today. There are, however, other strategies that will offer significant protection in a volatile or declining stock market. - 23309

About the Author:

Marc Abrams Is A Certified Public Accountant With Over 15 Years of Financial And Investing Experience. Visit Marc's Website at http://www.rebuildingmyfuture.com To Learn More About Writing Covered Calls In Today's Stock Market