Trading options for a living is possible if you're willing to put in the effort. Traders can make anywhere from $1,000 per month up to $200,000+ per year. Many traders make more but it all depends on your trading account size.
Salary Ranges for Options Traders
The salaries of Options Traders in the US range from $29,313 to $791,198 , with a median salary of $141,954 . The middle 57% of Options Traders makes between $141,954 and $356,226, with the top 86% making $791,198.
Options traders can profit by being an option buyer or an option writer. Options allow for potential profit during both volatile times, regardless of which direction the market is moving. This is possible because options can be traded in anticipation of market appreciation or depreciation.
But, can you get rich trading options? The answer, unequivocally, is yes, you can get rich trading options.
There's a common misconception that options trading is like gambling. I would strongly push back on that. In fact, if you know how to trade options or can follow and learn from a trader like me, trading in options is not gambling, but in fact, a way to reduce your risk.
Dan Zanger holds a world record for his trading one-year stock market portfolio appreciation, gaining over 29,000%. In under two years, he turned $10,775 into $18 million.
Day traders get a wide variety of results that largely depend on the amount of capital they can risk, and their skill at managing that money. If you have a trading account of $10,000, a good day might bring in a five percent gain, or $500.
Myth #3: It's easy to profit buying options
While some think that options are too difficult, others believe it's easy. “It's extremely difficult to make money buying options,” Wolfinger said. “First, you have to get the market direction right, and many people believe they can do that, but the majority can't.
How much money can you make trading options? It's realistic to make anywhere between 10% – $50% or more per trade. If you have at least $10,000 or more in an account, you could make $250 – $1,000 or more trading them. It's important to manage your risk properly trading them.
How long does it take to learn options trading? It takes about 3 to 6 months to learn options trading from scratch. First, you need to understand the theory, and then you need to practice order placements and finally start trading options.
Advantages of trading in options
While stock prices are volatile, options prices can be even more volatile, which is part of what draws traders to the potential gains from them. Options are generally risky, but some options strategies can be relatively low risk and can even enhance your returns as a stock investor.
Starting Capital of 100k – 250k
Average Day Trader Salary = 20% annual return. This breaks down to 20k to 50k for an annual salary. Above Average Day Trader Salary = 50% annual return. This breaks down to 50k to 125k.
Some financial experts posture that day trading is more akin to gambling than it is to investing. While investing looks at putting money into the stock market with a long-term strategy, day trading looks at intraday profits that can be made from rapid price changes, both large and small.
Yes, living off day trading income is very much possible, but it can be very difficult to achieve. In fact, it's not necessarily easier or less demanding than doing a regular 9-5 job, and you are not even sure that you can be consistently profitable enough to sustain your lifestyle.
Options allow you to reap the same benefits as an outright stock or commodity trade, but with less risk and less money on the line. The truth is, you can achieve everything with options that you would with stocks or commodities―at less cost―while gaining a much higher percentage return on your invested dollars.
Over the past two quarters, out of 151 trades, an 87% success rate was achieved while outperforming the broader market by a wide spread S&P -2.7% vs.
Remember, trading and investing are not only full time jobs but they are also highly risky activities where the probability of losses is higher than the chance of profits. You need to position yourself accordingly.
Warren Buffett is not a trader. In fact, he has advised people to avoid trading for many years. He is an investor who buys companies and stocks and then holds them for many years. In fact, he has owned Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) for more than 20 years.
Traders often fail because they do not take trading seriously enough. Most inexperienced traders seek get-rich-quick methods and do not adequately prepare how they would approach the market. In reality, some inexperienced traders are gambling without even realizing it.
If the market is trending down, they would short securities that exhibit weakness when their prices bounce. Most independent day traders have short days, working two to five hours per day. Often they will practice making simulated trades for several months before beginning to make live trades.
If you want to day trade to make millions a year, you'll likely be disappointed. Very few day traders, or even people in other professions, make millions a year. It takes more than just being great at something to become rich…. and becoming great is a lot of work in and of itself.
So is option trading worth it? Well, it really comes down to whether you want to learn how to trade options. Options are a great way to capitalize on short-term price movements and can also hedge your portfolio if and when volatility spikes. If you're just starting out, it's probably best to paper trade options.
Trading stock options could produce much higher rates of return compared to trading stocks, mutual funds or other securities. The trade-off, of course, is that you run a greater risk of losing money, too. You want to generate income.