Going short on VIX?

Unlike the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Index, there is no way to directly invest in the VIX index.  I’m sure some really smart people have tried to figure out how to go long or short on this computed volatility index, but there’s just no way to do it directly.  Instead, you have to invest in a security that attempts to track VIX.  None of …

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Trading in IRA accounts, and avoiding “free riding”

As much as possible I try to trade in my IRA accounts—in order to defer taxes of course. It is a bit counter-intuitive to be doing more speculative activities in a retirement account, but this approach supports my goals:

  • Achieving good returns
  • With reasonable risks
  • While compounding growth

If your money is in Roth accounts, all the better, but most people interested in trading in their IRAs are restricted to traditional IRAs.

There are restrictions on what trades you can do in an IRA account.  For example, you can’t short a stock in an IRA account, but option restrictions have eased some over the years,  and market innovations like short ETFs (e.g., SH, SDS) have effectively bypassed some of the more onerous restrictions.   Brokers vary considerably in what they allow in IRA accounts, so pays to ask around.   Fidelity & Schwab allow many types of option spreads that some brokers might not. Covered calls and protective puts on long positions are broadly available within IRAs. Interactive Brokers and TD Ameritrade both waive the 2-day settlement requirement on trades in IRAs so if you plan to do frequent trades they would definitely be worth a look.

For a more general treatment on trading in IRAs see “Top 15 Questions About Trading in IRAs.”  The rest of this post will deal with free riding and how to avoid it.

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How to go long on the VIX index

Unlike the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Industrial Index, there’s no way to directly invest in the CBOE’s VIX® index.  Some really smart people have tried to figure out a way, but there’s just no way to do it directly with something like a VIX index fund.  Instead, you have to invest in a security that attempts to track VIX.  None of them do a great …

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Vance’s rules for six figure investing

Big moves usually don’t happen in a day, be patient Don’t fight the market Consider not jumping in or out all at once—no matter which way the market goes there will be something good to be said about it (e.g., at least I got half out…) Regardless of the market trend the chances of an up day tomorrow are always fifty-fifty (post) Don’t buy at …

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Six Figure Investing—an Overview

The live action is over on the blog tab, but you might be interested in some of the most popular posts I’ve written over the last four years. Trading in an IRA and Avoiding “Free Riding”  Taming Inverse Volatility WIth a Simple Ratio Top 15 Questions about Trading in an IRA Top 10 Questions about Dividends Ex-Dividend and Pay Dates for Lots of ETFs Dividend Capture Strategies …

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