State of the Market Thumbnail

Last month, we let you in on some of Chief Income Strategist Marc Lichtenfeld’s top wealth-building strategies… 101 of them, to be exact.

In his comprehensive report “101 Ways to Grow and Protect Your Retirement Savings,” Marc covers everything from tax efficiency to income generation and more.

These tips run the gamut – and they’re just as valuable to implement whether you’re on year one of retirement or year 10.

In fact, one of Marc’s favorite strategies for building secure wealth is even the subject of this week’s State of the Market video…

No. 19: A trick for increasing your stocks’ yields from 3% or 4% to more than 16%.

Last week in State of the Market, Marc explained how to earn income by trading calls and puts. Options trading, he said, can be very profitable – but also comes with a certain level of risk.

To mitigate that risk, investors can turn to two more conservative options plays: covered calls and naked puts.

Here’s how it works…

First, a covered call allows you to act, as Marc says, “like a bookie.” Here’s how he describes the process in your free report:

You purchase a stock with a decent yield and an upcoming ex-dividend date. You also sell a covered call on the stock with an expiration date after the ex-dividend date.

If the stock is below the strike price at expiration, you keep the stock and sell another covered call that expires slightly after the next ex-dividend date.

When the stock is above the strike price, it will get called away by the person holding the option. In this case, you sell the stock at the strike price and find another stock to repeat the process.

This can help you earn a double-digit return while limiting your downside.

Recently, Marc’s colleague Karim Rahemtulla (editor of Trade of the Day) used this very strategy to score more than 20% on convertible bonds from Bloomin’ Brands (Nasdaq: BLMN).

But bearish bets have their place in your arsenal too…

In selling a naked put, you act as an insurance company hedging against the odds that a stock’s share price will go down.

Note, in exchange for the cash the trade generates, you may be obligated to buy shares of the company you are betting on (100 shares per contract) if it drops to the agreed-upon price.

That’s why it’s important to use naked put selling as a strategy for buying stocks you already had your eye on at a discount…

Though, if your stock holds up through the expiration date, you can walk away with the money.

You can also always buy or sell options before their expiration dates, limiting your liability.

It can take some time to master, but options trading is one of the strongest tools you have for building a wealthy retirement. And with the right experts by your side, you’ll quickly become confident in all of the tricks of the trade.

After all, the profit potential of playing these strategies right is nearly unmatched…

Check out this week’s State of the Market video for details on how to get started.