Options trading · A personal journal
The trades. The decisions. The week after.
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Chateau Chapiteau in Georgia
The last week of May turned into one of those spontaneous Georgian adventures that are difficult to plan but impossible to forget.It began after Renée returned from an overnight stay with her classmates at Hotel Kopala in Tskneti. We picked her up directly from the school bus and immediately headed east toward Lagodekhi with friends from the BIST community.Along the way, we made several stops, including a visit to the beautiful hilltop town of Sighnaghi. The weather was unpredictable, with some very heavy rainfall, but that only added to the atmosphere of the journey.After finally reaching our destination, we enjoyed an amazing traditional banya and spent the evening watching fascinating…
Managing a Losing Short Put With a Bear Call Spread: An NFLX Case Study
A losing short put creates an uncomfortable question: should you close the position, roll it, accept assignment, or add another options structure in an attempt to improve the trade?One possibility is to sell a bear call spread above the market while continuing to hold the short put. The additional credit can reduce the position's cumulative cost, but it does not eliminate the downside risk of the put. Instead, it introduces a second risk: the stock may recover strongly and challenge the short calls.I am dealing with exactly this situation in a Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) position. This article uses that real portfolio case to explain when a bear call spread may be useful as an income…
Week 67 / $147.60 in Weekly Options Premium Despite Netflix’s 10% Earnings Drop
As of July 17, 2026, our stock portfolio closed at $12,691, loosing -1.24% week over week. The loss came after Netflix’s earnings report, which sent NFLX shares down roughly 10% at one point. Although we hold only a small position in the stock itself, our longer-dated NFLX put option created a meaningful drag on the overall portfolio.Had NFLX remained flat or reacted positively to the earnings report, the portfolio likely would have crossed the $13,000 mark for the first time. That remains an important milestone—and something to keep working toward.I originally opened the trade as a supplement to our weekly options income, but it has been problematic for the past few months—almost from…
Week 66 / Dividend Stock Portfolio Up 25.79% YTD as I Add BAC and Stora Enso Options
As of July 10, 2026, our dividend stock and options portfolio closed at $12,851, gaining 1.24% week over week.This week, I opened several new positions, despite saying over the past few weeks that I would probably avoid doing so.I reintroduced Bank of America stock to both the stock and options sides of the portfolio. Today, I also opened a new cash-secured put position in the Finnish forestry company Stora Enso.You can read more about my reasoning behind both positions here:For the later evolution of the BAC position, see the BAC bear call spread case study.Why I Bought Bank of America Stock After Selling a Cash-Secured PutFrom Clearing Bushes to Selling Stora Enso Put Options: An 11.65%…
From Clearing Bushes to Selling Stora Enso Put Options: An 11.65% Annualized Trade
Today, after looking over one of our properties in western Latvia, I invited representatives from the local Swedish-owned forestry company Sveaskog Baltfor to estimate the cost of clearing the overgrown bushes from the property.I have no precise idea how much material is there, but my rough estimate is around 100 loose cubic metres of bushes, branches and small trees. In Latvian, I would describe this as approximately 100 berkubi. Because branches contain a lot of empty space, this should not be confused with 100 solid cubic metres of timber.Ādģēri: The 30K Mistake That Turned Into a Long-Term ExperimentThe two guys arrived surprisingly quickly in a huge Volkswagen truck, wearing noticeable…
Why I Bought Bank of America Stock After Selling a Cash-Secured Put
Recently, I added Bank of America stock to our long-term stock portfolio after selling a cash-secured put on BAC.This was not a random trade. I have been selling options and investing with Bank of America stock at least since 2020, and over the years BAC has become one of those names I keep returning to. It is not the most exciting stock in the market, and it will probably never behave like NVIDIA or some fast-growing technology company, but that is exactly part of the reason I like it.Bank of America is a large, established banking stock. It pays a dividend, it has enough volatility to generate options premium, and it can be a decent candidate for covered call writing once shares are owned…
Week 65 / NVDA and NFLX Recovery Help Stock Portfolio Gain 3.02% This Week
As of July 3, 2026, our stock portfolio closed at $12,693, up 3.02% week over week.The U.S. stock market week was shortened, with markets closed on July 3 in observance of the July 4th Independence Day holiday.But for us, the real highlight of the week was not the market. After 16 years and 3 months since I met my better half, we finally got married today in a picturesque church in Western Latvia. It's official now!This was a particularly good week for our stock portfolio, as both NVDA and NFLX recovered somewhat.These are two positions I have been struggling with lately — not so much with NVDA, but definitely more with NFLX. With both tickers gaining some value during the week, the…
Week 64 / Managing a Challenged NFLX Put and NVDA Credit Spread During a Volatile Week
Greetings from Latvia! This week, we skipped the last few days of school in Tbilisi and traveled to Latvia to celebrate the Midsummer Solstice. We spent time with family and friends, enjoyed the traditional festivities, had a few beers, and had an amazing time.Back to the portfolio.As of June 26, 2026, the portfolio value declined by 3.44% compared to the previous week, ending at $12,322. In dollar terms, that is a loss of approximately $439, making this officially the worst weekly decline since I started tracking the portfolio 64 weeks ago.Most of the weakness can be attributed to the challenged NFLX position. Although Netflix represents only a small stock holding in the portfolio, the…
Chiatura Viewing Platform – A Perfect Spot for Drone Photography in Georgia
During my recent visit to Chiatura, I stopped at one of the city’s scenic viewing platforms — and it turned out to be one of the best places to overlook the entire town from above.Chiatura is already a fascinating destination on its own. Built into a deep river valley and surrounded by steep cliffs, the city is famous for its Soviet-era cable cars, industrial atmosphere, and dramatic landscape. From the viewing platform, all of this comes together in a single panoramic scene.Standing there, you can clearly see the contrast between nature and industry: old apartment blocks climbing the hillsides, mining infrastructure, the winding river below, and the iconic cable cars crossing the valley.…
Week 63 / Rolling an NFLX Cash-Secured Put and Managing Weekly NVDA Credit Spreads
As of June 19, 2026, the portfolio value increased by +0.76% compared to the previous week, reaching $12,761.On a year-to-date basis, the portfolio is up 23.77%, outperforming both the S&P 500 (+9.36%) and NVIDIA (+11.56%). I compare the portfolio against NVDA because approximately 84% of the portfolio's value is currently tied to NVIDIA. Given that concentration, outperforming NVDA itself suggests that the options income strategy is adding value beyond simply holding the stock.This was a shortened trading week for U.S. stocks, with markets closed on Friday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. As a European investor, it was interesting to learn more about the holiday.Since the shorter…
Georgian Tax Residency: A Strategic Option for HNWIs and Crypto Individuals
I have been living in Georgia as an expat since 2011. Over the years, I have seen many initiatives come and go - investment programs, startup incentives, real estate trends, banking opportunities, crypto mining, free industrial zones, and different attempts to position Georgia as a regional business hub.Some of these ideas worked well. Others were more hype than substance.One of the latest trends I have noticed is growing interest in Georgian tax residency, especially among high-net-worth individuals, internationally mobile entrepreneurs, and crypto investors.I am not a tax advisor and this is not legal or tax advice, but from my own experience following Georgia’s business and financial…
From Uplistsikhe to Chiatura: Exploring Georgia’s Soviet Ghosts and Sacred Pillars
Another awesome weekend is in the books.This time we picked up Latvian pilgrim Helmuts Noviks and headed west from Tbilisi toward one of the strangest and most fascinating regions in Georgia - Chiatura. But before reaching the rusty cable cars and fading Soviet facades, we made a stop at one of the country’s oldest settlements - the ancient cave town of Uplistsikhe.Georgia never disappoints when it comes to mixing completely different timelines into a single road trip. One moment you are walking through caves carved into rock thousands of years ago, the next you are drinking Soviet-style lemonade for 1 GEL in a mining town hanging between the past and the future.That’s exactly why I love…
Week 62 / How I Managed an NVDA Credit Spread and Added Dividend Stocks
Greetings from Dublin!Over the past week, I traveled to Dublin, Ireland, where I combined family time, sightseeing, and a bit of investing research.While exploring downtown Dublin with my daughter, I made a few spontaneous additions to our long-term stock portfolio after visiting familiar businesses such as McDonald's and Papa John's. These purchases were not based on deep financial analysis but rather on an investing habit I've been developing over the years: occasionally turning everyday experiences into opportunities to become a small owner instead of just a customer.It was a fascinating week in Ireland. While my future wife attended one of the largest localization industry conferences…
From Pizza Dinner to Portfolio: Why I Bought PZZA Stock in Dublin
Some investment ideas start with a spreadsheet. Others begin while waiting for pizza.During a recent trip to Dublin, I took my daughter for dinner at Papa John's. While waiting for the pizza, I did what I often do when visiting a familiar consumer business: I checked whether the company was publicly traded.It turns out that Papa John's International trades under the ticker symbol PZZA.After a quick look at the stock price, dividend history, and options chain, I decided to buy 0.5 shares for the long-term portfolio.This was not a major investment decision, nor was it a recommendation. It was simply another small example of how everyday businesses can sometimes become investment ideas.Why I…
Why I Keep Adding MCD Stock After Visiting McDonald's
Most investing decisions don't happen inside a brokerage account. They happen in everyday life.Over the years, I've tried to reduce unnecessary spending and make more intentional financial decisions. At the same time, my wife and I try to maintain an active and relatively healthy lifestyle while encouraging the same habits in our daughter. Of course, children are still children.While we generally prefer home-cooked meals, outdoor activities, and healthier food choices, we still visit McDonald's occasionally or order food for delivery from time to time.In our household, McDonald's is more of an occasional treat than a regular habit. That eventually led me to create a simple investing rule.…
Building a Drupal Module to Extract Featured Images From Article Content
For more than 10 years I’ve been using a dedicated image field in Drupal content types as a featured image. Back when I originally built the site architecture, this approach made perfect sense. The image field was used for article teasers, category pages, homepage listings, RSS feeds, and later for OpenGraph support so articles would look good when shared on Facebook, Twitter/X, and other social platforms.At the time, this was considered standard Drupal practice. Every article had a separate “featured image” field, completely independent from the article body itself.But over the years my publishing workflow changed.Instead of treating images as metadata attached to content, I started using…
Week 61 / Rolling an NFLX Position Into a Cash-Secured Put
Portfolio Value: $12,540Weekly Change: -2.5%YTD Return: +21.07%Options Premium Collected: $157On June 6, 2026, the portfolio value declined by 2.5% compared to the previous week, finishing at $12,540.The decline was not caused entirely by stock performance. Currency movements also had an impact. The U.S. dollar strengthened against the euro, with EUR/USD moving toward 1.15. Because part of the portfolio consists of euro-denominated assets, exchange rate fluctuations affect the reported portfolio value even when the underlying positions remain largely unchanged.Despite this week's decline, the portfolio remains up 21.07% year to date, outperforming both the S&P 500 (+9.21%) and NVIDIA (+…
Selling Cash-Secured Puts on Lufthansa (LHA): A 14.5% Annualized Return Opportunity
After booking a trip to Ireland with Lufthansa, I found myself doing something I often do when a company catches my attention: looking at its stock and checking whether there are any interesting options opportunities.A few minutes later, I found myself selling a put option on Lufthansa shares. The trade offered a potential annualized return of approximately 14.5%, while giving me the opportunity to acquire shares at a price I would be comfortable owning.That's exactly the kind of setup I like.The TradeOn June 1, 2026, Lufthansa (FRA: LHA) shares were trading at approximately €8.53. Rather than buying the stock outright, I sold a cash-secured put option with a strike price of €7.60 expiring…
Can Options Traders Invest in Ireland? Exploring the Irish Stock Market
As we are planning a trip to Ireland this weekend, I decided to take a closer look at the country's stock market.Actually, this has become a bit of a habit. Whenever I visit a new country, I usually end up researching its stock market, major listed companies, and investment opportunities. The funny thing is that while I often do the research, I rarely get around to writing an article about it. This time I wanted to change that.To be honest, before starting this research I didn't know that much about Ireland. I knew they use the euro, that Jameson whiskey comes from Ireland, and that the country is located next to the United Kingdom. I also knew that Ireland has its own native language,…
Titanic Chaussee Hotel in Berlin
At the start of April 2026, we spent about six nights at Titanic Hotel Berlin (Chausseestraße 30). The trip was primarily work-related—my fiancée attended a conference in the translation industry—but it turned into a relaxed family stay, as I tagged along with our child during the Easter school break.The hotel sits in a convenient part of Berlin - not exactly in the historic core, but close enough to make it practical. We found ourselves walking several times to the New Synagogue area, which speaks to the accessibility.The surrounding neighborhood offers:A few shopping malls within walking distanceDecent cafés and casual dining spotsGood public transport options, though we mostly walkedIt’s…
Each week, I publish a detailed options trading journal with real positions, adjustments, and results.
Outside the markets, I might occasionally share travel experiences, standout restaurants, simple food ideas, and my ongoing building and renovation projects
Weekly options
BMY Earnings Beat, NVIDIA Selloff & Rising Market Volatility | Week 82
As of October 30, 2026, our options-selling-powered dividend stock portfolio stood at $13,395, marking a weekly decrease of 0.85% compared with the previous week.Year to date, our portfolio is up 33.24%. Despite the modest weekly decline, I'm…
From Scotland to Wall Street: Buying IHG Stock and Collecting Options Premiums | Week 81
Greetings from Scotland! Over the past week, we've been making the most of the school break by travelling to this beautiful part of the world. We've explored Edinburgh and Glasgow, enjoyed a road trip through the spectacular Scottish Highlands, and…
BMY Shares Called Away, Back to Selling Puts & Buying NIO | Week 80
As of October 16, 2026, our options-selling-powered dividend stock portfolio stood at $13,456, marking a weekly decline of 1.37% compared with the previous week.This actually came as a bit of a surprise to me, as the underlying stock prices in the…