For years, I've shared my actual trades publicly on this website. Full transparency has always been a cornerstone of Options Cafe—no cherry-picked winners, no hindsight trading, just the real results from real money. Course members already receive real-time email alerts whenever I open or close a position on my other strategies. Today, I'm excited to announce that Wheel Strategy trades are now part of that real-time alert system.
Why I Went All-In on the Wheel Strategy
If you've been following Options Cafe for a while, you know I've experimented with the Wheel Strategy on and off over the years. But I never had a fully systematic, committed approach to it—until now. At the beginning of 2025, everything changed.
Earlier in 2025, I realized that my Zero DTE SPX Iron Butterfly strategy was struggling in the current market environment. The volatility that came with the Trump administration's policy announcements and unpredictable market-moving statements made the Iron Butterfly strategy increasingly difficult to execute profitably. The rigid rule set that worked beautifully in calmer markets was getting whipsawed by intraday swings that exceeded anything in my historical backtests.
Here's the reality that every options trader needs to accept: no strategy works forever. Markets change, volatility regimes shift, and strategies that generated consistent income for years can suddenly stop working. The key to long-term success isn't finding the "perfect" strategy—it's recognizing when conditions have changed and adapting accordingly.
So I pivoted. Hard.
2025: The Year the Wheel Strategy Saved My Portfolio
When I committed fully to the Wheel Strategy at the start of 2025, I didn't know what to expect. What I got exceeded my best-case scenarios: over 50% returns for the year. You can see every single trade I made on the 2025 Wheel Strategy results page.
Let me be completely transparent here: without this pivot, 2025 might have been a down year. The market conditions that crushed my Iron Butterfly strategy would have left me sitting on the sidelines or, worse, forcing trades that didn't fit the environment. Instead, the Wheel Strategy's flexibility and income-generating mechanics turned what could have been a disaster into one of the best years I've ever had.
The Wheel Strategy thrives in exactly the kind of volatile, headline-driven market we've been experiencing. When stocks drop, I'm selling cash-secured puts at strikes I'm happy to own. When I get assigned, I'm collecting covered call premium while waiting for shares to be called away. The cycle continues, premium flows in, and the strategy doesn't require the market to behave in any particular way—it just needs stocks to move.
What Is the Wheel Strategy? A Quick Primer
For those new to options trading or unfamiliar with this approach, here's a quick overview:
The Wheel Strategy is an income-generating options strategy that cycles between two core positions:
- Selling Cash-Secured Puts: You sell put options on stocks you'd be willing to own at a lower price. If the stock stays above your strike price, you keep the premium as profit. If it drops below, you get assigned the shares at an effective cost basis that's reduced by the premium you collected.
- Selling Covered Calls: Once you own shares (either from assignment or by choice), you sell call options against them. This generates additional premium income while you hold the stock. If the stock rises above your strike, your shares get called away at a profit. If not, you keep the premium and repeat.
The strategy "wheels" continuously between these two phases, generating income regardless of whether you're holding cash or stock. It's a methodical, repeatable approach that rewards patience and discipline.
Want to go deeper? Check out my comprehensive guide on Mastering the Options Wheel Strategy, or better yet, enroll in the Options Cafe course where I break down every nuance of the strategy with detailed video lessons, stock selection criteria, and position management techniques.
Real-Time Alerts: Follow Along Trade by Trade
Starting today, course members will receive email alerts for my Wheel Strategy trades just like they do for my other strategies. Here's what that means:
- Instant notification when I open a position — you'll know the ticker, strike, expiration, and premium collected
- Immediate alert when I close a trade — whether I'm taking profit, getting assigned, or rolling a position
- Full transparency on results — every trade logged publicly on the results page
- The reasoning behind each trade — so you can learn, not just follow
I want to be clear about something: these alerts are educational, not trading signals to blindly follow. The goal has never been for you to copy my trades exactly. Instead, these alerts let you see how I apply the strategies taught in the course to real market conditions. You can benchmark your own performance, learn from my wins and losses, and develop your own systematic approach.
Why Full Transparency Matters
The options education space is full of gurus showing off their best trades while hiding their losers. Screenshot traders who post wins and conveniently forget about the positions that went against them. Backtested results that would never hold up in live trading.
That's not how I operate.
Every trade I share is real money. My money. When I lose, you see it. When I make mistakes, you learn from them. The public results pages show complete, unfiltered performance—not cherry-picked highlights designed to sell courses.
This transparency serves two purposes. First, it keeps me accountable. Knowing that every trade will be public forces discipline. Second, it gives you real data to evaluate whether my approach works for you. You're not buying hype—you're buying access to a proven, documented trading methodology.
What's Next for Options Cafe
The addition of Wheel Strategy alerts rounds out the Options Cafe trading toolkit. Course members now have access to real-time alerts across multiple strategies, each suited to different market conditions:
- SPY Put Credit Spreads — my foundational income strategy for bullish-to-neutral markets
- Zero DTE SPX Iron Butterflies — currently on pause but still being monitored as market conditions evolve
- Wheel Strategy — the new addition, perfectly suited for today's volatile, headline-driven environment
The reality is that successful options trading requires adaptability. Having multiple strategies in your toolkit means you can shift your capital to wherever conditions are most favorable. Right now, that's the Wheel Strategy. In six months or a year, it might be something else. I'll continue sharing everything I do, and you'll always have full visibility into my thought process and results.
Ready to Follow Along?
If you're already a course member, you'll start receiving Wheel Strategy alerts automatically. Make sure your email notifications are enabled so you don't miss any trades.
If you haven't enrolled yet, there's never been a better time. You'll get lifetime access to all course content, real-time alerts for all my active strategies, and the transparent results tracking that sets Options Cafe apart. Click here to enroll today.
Here's to a profitable 2026. Let's make some money together—one wheel turn at a time.
Related Topics: Wheel Strategy, Options Trading Alerts, Real Time Trade Alerts, Options Income Strategy, Covered Calls, Cash Secured Puts, Transparent Trading, Options Course, Trading Signals, Passive Income Options
