TL;DR You can absolutely sell a covered call on growth stocks like NVDA, TSLA, or AMD, and the premiums are typically 2 to 4 times richer than on SPY. The trade-off is capped upside: a growth stock can run 20 percent in a month and you only collect a fraction of that move if your… Continue reading Can You Sell Covered Calls on Growth Stocks? Strategy and Risks
TL;DR The default covered call position sizing rule is 3 to 5 percent of total portfolio per single stock and 15 to 25 percent per broad ETF. No single sector should exceed roughly 20 percent of the income sleeve. Typical retiree portfolios hold 10 to 18 covered call positions, which captures most of the diversification… Continue reading Covered Call Position Sizing: How Much Capital Per Trade?
TL;DR Covered call income during inflation tends to rise because higher implied volatility means richer option premiums. April 2026 headline CPI hit 3.8 percent year over year, the highest since May 2023, making real-return strategies more important than ever. A conservative covered call program on SPY or QQQ targets 8 to 12 percent annualized premium… Continue reading How Covered Call Income Protects Your Portfolio During Inflation
TL;DR When you sell covered calls on ETFs vs stocks, ETFs give you smoother income with less blowup risk, while individual stocks pay richer premium for higher concentration risk. SPY and QQQ covered calls typically yield 6 to 12 percent annualized in 2026; quality single stocks often pay 12 to 25 percent. ETFs have far… Continue reading Covered Calls on ETFs vs Individual Stocks: Which Is Better for Income?
TL;DR The covered call income vs rental income comparison usually comes out close on yield, but covered calls pay monthly with far less work. Single-family rental cash on cash returns averaged 5 to 8 percent in 2026, while a conservative covered call program on blue-chip stocks targets 8 to 14 percent annualized premium yield. Rental… Continue reading Covered Call Income vs Rental Property Income: A Real Numbers Comparison
The Question I Get More Than Any Other: “Should I Sell Covered Calls or Sell Puts?” Every week, without fail, a new student asks me some version of this question. They’ve discovered options income, they understand both strategies generate premium, and they’re trying to figure out which one to commit to. Some options gurus will… Continue reading Covered Calls vs Selling Puts: Which Income Strategy Is Right for You?
Most People Overcomplicate Covered Calls — Here’s the Simple Truth I’ve been selling covered calls for over 40 years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: the strategy itself is straightforward. You own shares, you sell a call option against them, and you collect income. That’s the core of it. Yet most beginners… Continue reading Selling Covered Calls for Beginners: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Most Investors Overlook the Strategy That Lets You Collect Covered Call Income With a Fraction of the Capital Here’s a question I get constantly from students: “Mark, I love the covered call strategy, but I don’t have enough capital to buy 100 shares of NVDA or AMZN. What do I do?” My answer is always… Continue reading LEAPS Covered Calls: How to Generate Monthly Income With 70% Less Capital
Learn how to build a diversified covered call income portfolio with the three-tier framework: foundation ETFs, growth stocks, and opportunistic plays. Includes a sample $150K portfolio generating ~$2,770/month.
Learn how implied volatility affects your covered call premiums and how to use IV Rank and IV Percentile to sell smarter. Includes premium comparison tables, ideal IV ranges, and portfolio construction tips.
