A number of different techniques and strategies are available to option investors to help assist them in achieving consistent and reliable monthly income from the option market.

For example there is the butterfly spread, the iron condor , the diagonal (an/or the double diagonal), and the calendar spread, the double calendar spread – and, the vertical spread, which is sometimes also referred to as the credit spread.

In actuality, the vertical spread can be discovered inside found many of the previously talked about strategies. It is a core foundational trade to each of their makeup. Take for instance the iron condor. This trade is constructed from two separate vertical spreads – a put credit spread and a call credit spread – each positioned above and below where the underlying stock is currently trading at.

It is also a basic building block of the butterfly spread. The top half of the butterfly spread is actually just a vertical spread – as is the bottom half. An iron butterfly trade is built from a put vertical spread and a call vertical spread.

The vertical spread trade can be built from either call options or also put options.

Following is an illustration of a bear call vertical spread on the imaginary stock XYZ…

Sell 7 XYZ 35 Call Options Buy 7 XYZ 40 Call Options

This hypothetical vertical spread will profit if the stock XYZ stays where it is trading at (or in other words NOT go up) – or heads down. It is a bearish play.

This position is called a bull put spread due to the fact that even though the position is created using put options, it is being placed in such a way that generates a profit if and when the stock being used moves bullishly.

If XYZ does in fact move downwards (or at least stay in the general area where it is currently trading at and NOT go up) this position will be a spread winning trade and the premium collected at the start of the trade can remain as profit in the traders account. And if you like the idea of that, you can also use this spread on dual sides of where the underlying is trading at – creating an iron condor option trade.

Ted ‘Spread’ Nino is an option selling nut case – particularly addicted with the riding the iron condor . Visit iron condor option lab website to watch more about his tiptop undemanding method to play this option income strategy for ongoing profits.

The iron condor spread has two faces – and thankfully for us option traders, neither face belongs to Babs. But then again, it’s almost just as bad (almost)

See, usually when new option traders first catch wind of the iron condor trade, they completely flip out – believing it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. I know I did. Once I wrapped my head around the method I simply couldn’t believe such a trade existed and that no one had ever told me about this thing before. I was convinced this was a holy grail type trade that left very little possibility for losses. Heck, it was just like they all said – it was like being the casino. Just spend a few minutes every month slapping one of these things on and the let it sail to victory – month after month after month…

Of course, new option traders go gaga over this strategy – and who could blame them. It seems to be a trade that’s almost too good to be real.

The problem – is that it is too good to be true.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

See here’s the deal: The iron condor actually IS a pretty incredible trade. It CAN take very little time to manage. And it CAN produce some very consistent and truly outstanding and impressive returns.

It’s that most new option traders don’t take the time to really learn and understand this strategy. If they did, they would become aware that the trade has two faces – or two sides if you will – and one of those sides can be quite dangerous – that if is not managed and handled correctly can deliver some pretty ugly losses to a trading account.

It all boils down to the risk to reward ratio of these trades. They have a high probability of winning many small trades – but just ONE loss can completely DESTROY a trading account. And if the one trading these birds don’t realize and fully understand this – and more importantly how to properly manage these trades and how to make effective iron condor adjustments – before long they will get creamed and blasted out of the market possibly with a huge, unrecoverable loss.

The key to winning with this strategy is to understand that the the iron condor does have a dark side – but as long as a trader has the proper knowledge to manage those tantrums and fits that are occasionally thrown by the iron condor – and know how to make effective iron condor adjustments, this trade really can turn out to be all that it’s cracked up to be.

To be taught more about the iron condor strategy, click over to this training site for stacks of free education videos, samples, and reports on how to aptly start, remove, negotiate and adjust the iron condor strategy to yield a ongoing monthly source of income.