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*sigh* I was trying to get into Tesla being smart and selling puts. I started around april 2012 when it was around $28. I sold monthly options at-money hoping that if it closes just below I'll get the stock dead cheap. By around March 2013 I had made ~$2000 without actually putting anything in (it's an IB margin account and I only had ca $10k on it when I started). I've kept selling puts with the occasionally bought call spread in there and I've made about $5k on TSLA, but I still beat myself up from the fact that I didn't just outright buy TSLA when I planned. Though I doubt I'd have held on to it until now (i.e. $170 range). Still, making $5k without investing a single cent is useful ;) Right now have 3 short puts (weekly 155, 160, next weeks 155) netting me ~600 USD against margin. I of course have stop loss orders which are GTC trades to safeguard against a huge drop, but there's still the risk if the drop happens outside of market hours. Probably should start safeguarding with some very low price PUTs just to avoid a flash crash margin call.
 
Just want to add I did take an opportunity to become a partner in an angel fund. I don't want to give an impression of me day trading stock and making easy money for a living. There are times money come easy, and there are times money taken away easily. When you start associating with lottery win and Vegas gambling and even suggesting that, you got a dangerous mind set for your own disaster coming.

I am actually finding I have less time now :confused:. Can't imagine how I manage my trade/investment while holding a full time job!
 
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I wouldn't want a friend, or soon to be ex-friend, to invest and lose their shirt because they did a panic sell during a dip.

Investing in stocks does require a certain... equanimity of temperment.

Volatility is not the same as risk. People in the investing world often confuse the two. I have an extremely low appetite for risk, but I have no problem with huge volatility. As long as my emergency fund is properly sized, if I make a five-year bet on a stock (and that's a short-term bet for me), it really doesn't matter to me what happens in the interim. (It's good to watch it in case the stock gets way too high and it makes sense to sell early, but it's not *necessary*.)

I do not think Tesla is risky in the way in which (for instance) JP Morgan Chase (like most other financial stocks) is risky. JP Morgan Chase has a lack of readily transferrable physical assets, an incomprehensible balance sheet, legal clouds over most of its business and much of its "assets", a customer base which is able to abandon it overnight (and quite likely to do so if there are rumors of a bank run), and self-dealing executives. That's risk: Lehman Brothers type risk.

Tesla's an industrial operation. A car manufacturer with no competitors in their market segment and a market so large that they can't meet demand. That's not risky. TSLA is volatile, and it may be overpriced now, but it's not *risky* the way I define risk -- the risk of the company turning to vapor like Enron is very low.

But in order to invest in stocks, one has to have this *attitude*. If one panics over every daily move, one really must not do stock market investing.
 
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Can totally relate to your posting. Also in A&D, but left it for several years and saw completely different corporate cultures. Placed my order for a Model S over 1.5 years ago along with significant stock holdings. Thinking about early retirement and what to do next in life. Fortunate to have the options available.
 
Who needs the lottery when there's options trading? ;)

Speaking of lottery, I did have an interesting thought. My first million came around late may or June, when Wimbledon was going on. Being a tennis fan, I realized effectively I just won the grand slam! It was an astonishing thought but the time frame and reward was indeed similar. And knowing how hard to win a grand slam, I can't be more pleased.

Now the US open is playing, more grand slams winners are in the making. Not bad to be associated with the Champions I've been idolized, even only in my very narrow fancy mind.
 
That is exactly my scenario, a self-directed IRA. I had a 6x return from AAPL and then two years ago I switched it all to Tesla. The brokerage professionals tell me to sell and diversify, but then that is exactly what they said at 30, 50, 90... for that matter it is what they said when I owned Apple.

I'm told, I can start drawing down the IRA without penalty in a few years, when I hit 55.

Im one that retired early and am using the 72t.
I've lost big on alt energy before, then investment landscape is littered with once promising can't miss winners.
I love tesla, but I'd put 200,000 in jp Morgan way before tesla
but as a speculative stock, obviously tesla has been and will be a good runner
 
I believe Kevin rode TSLA all the way up then down again with options?
Then he posted quite a bit on KNDI but after that he left TMC.


Not sure about riding tsla back down with options but after doing a little research it appears he was disrespectful to Nigel and refused to listen to any of the moderators about it including Doug ... it all ended up with him being banned. I cruised over to his site to see how he was doing and it seems like the newest post was 5 months ago.
 

Nice to hear Curt, you have offered good advice here, happy to see it rewarded. I'm a few percentage points away too (not a jinx I hope!) Congratulations to everyone who has supported what's proving to be a great story of entrepreneurship, risk taking, conviction, excellence, and heart. This is the type of company where it feels GREAT to share in their success.