The document details the career journey of Joshua Belanger, founder of OptionSIZZLE, in the options trading industry. It describes how he got his start as a runner on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange at age 19 and his experiences working as a stock broker and on trading desks. He founded OptionSIZZLE in 2008 to share unusual options activity with individual investors. However, he soon faced a lawsuit from another firm providing similar information, though the case was later settled out of court. Despite challenges, OptionSIZZLE has now been operating for nearly six years and continues to help investors learn options trading strategies.
Do you know where your sales tools come from? Ever wondered where things like trial close and handling objections came from? This is an interesting report on where some of your sales techniques and tools come from.
Chris Roush presents "Uncovering Stories in Small Businesses," part of the free, daylong workshop, "Uncovering the Best Local Businesses," which is geared toward community and local journalists on a budget.
For more information about free training for business journalists, please visit businessjournalism.org.
Articles from the lead educators and professional traders in the MrTopStep IM-Pro Trading Room. Our gift to you. See why no other room has the range of top experts we do, calling out trades as they make them and supporting both new and experienced traders, including some of the best in the world.
Do you know where your sales tools come from? Ever wondered where things like trial close and handling objections came from? This is an interesting report on where some of your sales techniques and tools come from.
Chris Roush presents "Uncovering Stories in Small Businesses," part of the free, daylong workshop, "Uncovering the Best Local Businesses," which is geared toward community and local journalists on a budget.
For more information about free training for business journalists, please visit businessjournalism.org.
Articles from the lead educators and professional traders in the MrTopStep IM-Pro Trading Room. Our gift to you. See why no other room has the range of top experts we do, calling out trades as they make them and supporting both new and experienced traders, including some of the best in the world.
The Truth About Unusual Options Trading Activity!Joshua Belanger
Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve got some good news and some bad. You see, there are a lot of investors out there that feel that stock market is rigged…and that the little guy has no chance of succeeding.
What I’m about to share with you might be disturbing…and possibly strengthen those beliefs.
The Ugly Side Of Trading Unusual Options ActivityJoshua Belanger
I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, there are literally hundreds of thousands of option orders that are reported every trading day. The majority of the option volume conducted is done by large institutions–who have the potential to move a stock with their order flow.
Not only that, institutional option flow is highly regarded as informed traders, a great deal of interest is grown when an aggressive bet is made, followed by speculation on why they put so much money behind their idea.
Now, If you can imagine millions of orders being tracked every day, you can see how there could be a lot of noise in between… even though I believe following the transparency of option market trades provides excellent signals for potential entries.
Don’t Mine for Gold When You Can Sell Shovels - The Power of B2B BusinessesMatt Ward
How do you forgo fast profit for future success? Life isn’t a race. Bank balance isn’t a score card. Don’t get caught up in the hype.
Wealth ALWAYS accrues to the facilitators. Companies that assist entrepreneurs and SMBs are the among the most valuable in the world.
Google and Facebook do ads. Stripe and Square handle payments. Amazon and Etsy empower sellers… there are thousands of examples.
Today selling shovels sucks. There are many brands, and shovels are a commodity — people do not care. If it moves snow, dirt or sand from A to B, it is probably good enough for me.
To be a venture scale opportunity, startups MUST be playing in a winner take most (or all) market. Venture capitalists and angel investors have to shoot for the moon — that is the nature of the power law profile of early stage investing. One or two companies returns the portfolio, the majority die or lurk in obscurity.
DISCOVER 3 SINGLE MOST POWERFUL LIST BUILDING STRATEGIES YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR OWN.IN SIDE THIS E BOOK YOU WILL DISCOVER THE TOPICS ABOUT LIST BULIDING -YOUR BREAD BUTTER LEVERAGING ON JOINT VENTURES ,INVEST REGULARLY IN ADVERTISTING ,NEW WAVE GIVE AWAY EVENTS AND SO MUCH MORE
“ The difference that sets professional networkers apart from amateur networkers is that they look forward to their prospects objections and know exactly what to say with each one. ”
A complete trading system is described comprising methods of shorting options on various underlying instruments including the S&P 500 futures, e-minis, ETFs and cash indexes. Entry, exit, position sizing, risk management and adjustments are addressed.
Much of what passes for technical analysis of market prices is lore, received wisdom, no better than pseudo-science. True objective technical analysis relying on the scientific method can be used to develop profitable trading systems that withstand rigorous investigaion. Risks and biases are discussed and candidates for options trading strategies are proposed.
Several ways to calculate option probability are outlined, including the derivation that relies on terms from the Black-Scholes (Merton) formula. Programming formulas are provided for Excel. Delta is discussed, as a proxy for option probability and the differences in various volatility measures are described.
How To Successfully Use Option Volatility To Trade Binary EventsJoshua Belanger
Contrary to popular investing belief and outdated content, volatility creates opportunities… especially in the options market.
In How To Profit From Option Volatility, I discussed how options theory differs from practice…and how implied volatility plays a factor in that.
One of the points touched in that article, was how uncertainty drives option volatility higher. Sometimes this elevated options volatility is warranted…but many times it’s not.
For example, I know that drug stocks tend to have very high implied volatility levels…however, I also know that they can move a lot (in either direction)…making it hard to justify ever shorting premium in these names.
On September 12th, 2014, there was 20 times usual options volume in Avinir Pharmaceuticals Inc (AVNR). The 30 day implied volatility jumped from 91.9% to 99.19% when the stock was trading around $6.74. The options market was implying around a 29% move in a month.
The Truth About Unusual Options Trading Activity!Joshua Belanger
Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve got some good news and some bad. You see, there are a lot of investors out there that feel that stock market is rigged…and that the little guy has no chance of succeeding.
What I’m about to share with you might be disturbing…and possibly strengthen those beliefs.
The Ugly Side Of Trading Unusual Options ActivityJoshua Belanger
I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, there are literally hundreds of thousands of option orders that are reported every trading day. The majority of the option volume conducted is done by large institutions–who have the potential to move a stock with their order flow.
Not only that, institutional option flow is highly regarded as informed traders, a great deal of interest is grown when an aggressive bet is made, followed by speculation on why they put so much money behind their idea.
Now, If you can imagine millions of orders being tracked every day, you can see how there could be a lot of noise in between… even though I believe following the transparency of option market trades provides excellent signals for potential entries.
Don’t Mine for Gold When You Can Sell Shovels - The Power of B2B BusinessesMatt Ward
How do you forgo fast profit for future success? Life isn’t a race. Bank balance isn’t a score card. Don’t get caught up in the hype.
Wealth ALWAYS accrues to the facilitators. Companies that assist entrepreneurs and SMBs are the among the most valuable in the world.
Google and Facebook do ads. Stripe and Square handle payments. Amazon and Etsy empower sellers… there are thousands of examples.
Today selling shovels sucks. There are many brands, and shovels are a commodity — people do not care. If it moves snow, dirt or sand from A to B, it is probably good enough for me.
To be a venture scale opportunity, startups MUST be playing in a winner take most (or all) market. Venture capitalists and angel investors have to shoot for the moon — that is the nature of the power law profile of early stage investing. One or two companies returns the portfolio, the majority die or lurk in obscurity.
DISCOVER 3 SINGLE MOST POWERFUL LIST BUILDING STRATEGIES YOU CAN USE FOR YOUR OWN.IN SIDE THIS E BOOK YOU WILL DISCOVER THE TOPICS ABOUT LIST BULIDING -YOUR BREAD BUTTER LEVERAGING ON JOINT VENTURES ,INVEST REGULARLY IN ADVERTISTING ,NEW WAVE GIVE AWAY EVENTS AND SO MUCH MORE
“ The difference that sets professional networkers apart from amateur networkers is that they look forward to their prospects objections and know exactly what to say with each one. ”
A complete trading system is described comprising methods of shorting options on various underlying instruments including the S&P 500 futures, e-minis, ETFs and cash indexes. Entry, exit, position sizing, risk management and adjustments are addressed.
Much of what passes for technical analysis of market prices is lore, received wisdom, no better than pseudo-science. True objective technical analysis relying on the scientific method can be used to develop profitable trading systems that withstand rigorous investigaion. Risks and biases are discussed and candidates for options trading strategies are proposed.
Several ways to calculate option probability are outlined, including the derivation that relies on terms from the Black-Scholes (Merton) formula. Programming formulas are provided for Excel. Delta is discussed, as a proxy for option probability and the differences in various volatility measures are described.
How To Successfully Use Option Volatility To Trade Binary EventsJoshua Belanger
Contrary to popular investing belief and outdated content, volatility creates opportunities… especially in the options market.
In How To Profit From Option Volatility, I discussed how options theory differs from practice…and how implied volatility plays a factor in that.
One of the points touched in that article, was how uncertainty drives option volatility higher. Sometimes this elevated options volatility is warranted…but many times it’s not.
For example, I know that drug stocks tend to have very high implied volatility levels…however, I also know that they can move a lot (in either direction)…making it hard to justify ever shorting premium in these names.
On September 12th, 2014, there was 20 times usual options volume in Avinir Pharmaceuticals Inc (AVNR). The 30 day implied volatility jumped from 91.9% to 99.19% when the stock was trading around $6.74. The options market was implying around a 29% move in a month.
Harrison believes that getting a job has lot to do with how you think and the way you put your mind to use. A strong positive mindset can help you succeed in the job market. You have to think and believe that opportunity is everywhere. You need to be persistent and strongly believe in the end result ahead of time.
Our goal is to inspire an international movement of millennials to follow their ambitions and break out the bad habits they may have been trained their entire life.
How attorneys-and-law-students-can-craft-the-perfect-cover-letterBCG Attorney Search
Cover letters should not be complicated. They should be as focused as possible on an employer and give employers reasons to be interested in you and think you will be a good fit for the position.
When it comes to inventory marketing best practices, Gibson Truck World in Sanford, Florida has so many, we had to omit several from this article to fit this space. With sales topping 1,800 units annually, 65 employees, and $7 million in inventory on 14 acres, Gibson is the largest used truck dealership in the world and ranks No. 18 of independent dealers in the U.S.*
Impressive, to be sure, but what’s more impressive is how they sustain these numbers. The biggest clue lies in the fact that a whopping 60 percent of their sales result from referrals and repeat customers.
In his new book, “Allied to Win,” Ed uses his personal experiences to provide valuable advice and insight for budding entrepreneurs. In the following slideshow, you will find illuminative quotes from Ed, as well as photos from the early days of Shopatron.
Art Fried, a renowned name in the Arizona real estate market, is the CEO & Owner of We Buy Homes In AZ, LLC from January 2003, and was the CEO & Owner of Your Loan Adjusted, LLC, . He built these companies to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
Similar to The Lawsuit: Wealth, Freedom, Options (20)
The secret way to sell pi coins effortlessly.DOT TECH
Well as we all know pi isn't launched yet. But you can still sell your pi coins effortlessly because some whales in China are interested in holding massive pi coins. And they are willing to pay good money for it. If you are interested in selling I will leave a contact for you. Just telegram this number below. I sold about 3000 pi coins to him and he paid me immediately.
Telegram: @Pi_vendor_247
NO1 Uk Divorce problem uk all amil baba in karachi,lahore,pakistan talaq ka m...Amil Baba Dawood bangali
Contact with Dawood Bhai Just call on +92322-6382012 and we'll help you. We'll solve all your problems within 12 to 24 hours and with 101% guarantee and with astrology systematic. If you want to take any personal or professional advice then also you can call us on +92322-6382012 , ONLINE LOVE PROBLEM & Other all types of Daily Life Problem's.Then CALL or WHATSAPP us on +92322-6382012 and Get all these problems solutions here by Amil Baba DAWOOD BANGALI
#vashikaranspecialist #astrologer #palmistry #amliyaat #taweez #manpasandshadi #horoscope #spiritual #lovelife #lovespell #marriagespell#aamilbabainpakistan #amilbabainkarachi #powerfullblackmagicspell #kalajadumantarspecialist #realamilbaba #AmilbabainPakistan #astrologerincanada #astrologerindubai #lovespellsmaster #kalajaduspecialist #lovespellsthatwork #aamilbabainlahore#blackmagicformarriage #aamilbaba #kalajadu #kalailam #taweez #wazifaexpert #jadumantar #vashikaranspecialist #astrologer #palmistry #amliyaat #taweez #manpasandshadi #horoscope #spiritual #lovelife #lovespell #marriagespell#aamilbabainpakistan #amilbabainkarachi #powerfullblackmagicspell #kalajadumantarspecialist #realamilbaba #AmilbabainPakistan #astrologerincanada #astrologerindubai #lovespellsmaster #kalajaduspecialist #lovespellsthatwork #aamilbabainlahore #blackmagicforlove #blackmagicformarriage #aamilbaba #kalajadu #kalailam #taweez #wazifaexpert #jadumantar #vashikaranspecialist #astrologer #palmistry #amliyaat #taweez #manpasandshadi #horoscope #spiritual #lovelife #lovespell #marriagespell#aamilbabainpakistan #amilbabainkarachi #powerfullblackmagicspell #kalajadumantarspecialist #realamilbaba #AmilbabainPakistan #astrologerincanada #astrologerindubai #lovespellsmaster #kalajaduspecialist #lovespellsthatwork #aamilbabainlahore #Amilbabainuk #amilbabainspain #amilbabaindubai #Amilbabainnorway #amilbabainkrachi #amilbabainlahore #amilbabaingujranwalan #amilbabainislamabad
Introduction to Indian Financial System ()Avanish Goel
The financial system of a country is an important tool for economic development of the country, as it helps in creation of wealth by linking savings with investments.
It facilitates the flow of funds form the households (savers) to business firms (investors) to aid in wealth creation and development of both the parties
Even tho Pi network is not listed on any exchange yet.
Buying/Selling or investing in pi network coins is highly possible through the help of vendors. You can buy from vendors[ buy directly from the pi network miners and resell it]. I will leave the telegram contact of my personal vendor.
@Pi_vendor_247
how can I sell pi coins after successfully completing KYCDOT TECH
Pi coins is not launched yet in any exchange 💱 this means it's not swappable, the current pi displaying on coin market cap is the iou version of pi. And you can learn all about that on my previous post.
RIGHT NOW THE ONLY WAY you can sell pi coins is through verified pi merchants. A pi merchant is someone who buys pi coins and resell them to exchanges and crypto whales. Looking forward to hold massive quantities of pi coins before the mainnet launch.
This is because pi network is not doing any pre-sale or ico offerings, the only way to get my coins is from buying from miners. So a merchant facilitates the transactions between the miners and these exchanges holding pi.
I and my friends has sold more than 6000 pi coins successfully with this method. I will be happy to share the contact of my personal pi merchant. The one i trade with, if you have your own merchant you can trade with them. For those who are new.
Message: @Pi_vendor_247 on telegram.
I wouldn't advise you selling all percentage of the pi coins. Leave at least a before so its a win win during open mainnet. Have a nice day pioneers ♥️
#kyc #mainnet #picoins #pi #sellpi #piwallet
#pinetwork
US Economic Outlook - Being Decided - M Capital Group August 2021.pdfpchutichetpong
The U.S. economy is continuing its impressive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and not slowing down despite re-occurring bumps. The U.S. savings rate reached its highest ever recorded level at 34% in April 2020 and Americans seem ready to spend. The sectors that had been hurt the most by the pandemic specifically reduced consumer spending, like retail, leisure, hospitality, and travel, are now experiencing massive growth in revenue and job openings.
Could this growth lead to a “Roaring Twenties”? As quickly as the U.S. economy contracted, experiencing a 9.1% drop in economic output relative to the business cycle in Q2 2020, the largest in recorded history, it has rebounded beyond expectations. This surprising growth seems to be fueled by the U.S. government’s aggressive fiscal and monetary policies, and an increase in consumer spending as mobility restrictions are lifted. Unemployment rates between June 2020 and June 2021 decreased by 5.2%, while the demand for labor is increasing, coupled with increasing wages to incentivize Americans to rejoin the labor force. Schools and businesses are expected to fully reopen soon. In parallel, vaccination rates across the country and the world continue to rise, with full vaccination rates of 50% and 14.8% respectively.
However, it is not completely smooth sailing from here. According to M Capital Group, the main risks that threaten the continued growth of the U.S. economy are inflation, unsettled trade relations, and another wave of Covid-19 mutations that could shut down the world again. Have we learned from the past year of COVID-19 and adapted our economy accordingly?
“In order for the U.S. economy to continue growing, whether there is another wave or not, the U.S. needs to focus on diversifying supply chains, supporting business investment, and maintaining consumer spending,” says Grace Feeley, a research analyst at M Capital Group.
While the economic indicators are positive, the risks are coming closer to manifesting and threatening such growth. The new variants spreading throughout the world, Delta, Lambda, and Gamma, are vaccine-resistant and muddy the predictions made about the economy and health of the country. These variants bring back the feeling of uncertainty that has wreaked havoc not only on the stock market but the mindset of people around the world. MCG provides unique insight on how to mitigate these risks to possibly ensure a bright economic future.
What price will pi network be listed on exchangesDOT TECH
The rate at which pi will be listed is practically unknown. But due to speculations surrounding it the predicted rate is tends to be from 30$ — 50$.
So if you are interested in selling your pi network coins at a high rate tho. Or you can't wait till the mainnet launch in 2026. You can easily trade your pi coins with a merchant.
A merchant is someone who buys pi coins from miners and resell them to Investors looking forward to hold massive quantities till mainnet launch.
I will leave the telegram contact of my personal pi vendor to trade with.
@Pi_vendor_247
NO1 Uk Black Magic Specialist Expert In Sahiwal, Okara, Hafizabad, Mandi Bah...Amil Baba Dawood bangali
Contact with Dawood Bhai Just call on +92322-6382012 and we'll help you. We'll solve all your problems within 12 to 24 hours and with 101% guarantee and with astrology systematic. If you want to take any personal or professional advice then also you can call us on +92322-6382012 , ONLINE LOVE PROBLEM & Other all types of Daily Life Problem's.Then CALL or WHATSAPP us on +92322-6382012 and Get all these problems solutions here by Amil Baba DAWOOD BANGALI
#vashikaranspecialist #astrologer #palmistry #amliyaat #taweez #manpasandshadi #horoscope #spiritual #lovelife #lovespell #marriagespell#aamilbabainpakistan #amilbabainkarachi #powerfullblackmagicspell #kalajadumantarspecialist #realamilbaba #AmilbabainPakistan #astrologerincanada #astrologerindubai #lovespellsmaster #kalajaduspecialist #lovespellsthatwork #aamilbabainlahore#blackmagicformarriage #aamilbaba #kalajadu #kalailam #taweez #wazifaexpert #jadumantar #vashikaranspecialist #astrologer #palmistry #amliyaat #taweez #manpasandshadi #horoscope #spiritual #lovelife #lovespell #marriagespell#aamilbabainpakistan #amilbabainkarachi #powerfullblackmagicspell #kalajadumantarspecialist #realamilbaba #AmilbabainPakistan #astrologerincanada #astrologerindubai #lovespellsmaster #kalajaduspecialist #lovespellsthatwork #aamilbabainlahore #blackmagicforlove #blackmagicformarriage #aamilbaba #kalajadu #kalailam #taweez #wazifaexpert #jadumantar #vashikaranspecialist #astrologer #palmistry #amliyaat #taweez #manpasandshadi #horoscope #spiritual #lovelife #lovespell #marriagespell#aamilbabainpakistan #amilbabainkarachi #powerfullblackmagicspell #kalajadumantarspecialist #realamilbaba #AmilbabainPakistan #astrologerincanada #astrologerindubai #lovespellsmaster #kalajaduspecialist #lovespellsthatwork #aamilbabainlahore #Amilbabainuk #amilbabainspain #amilbabaindubai #Amilbabainnorway #amilbabainkrachi #amilbabainlahore #amilbabaingujranwalan #amilbabainislamabad
Falcon stands out as a top-tier P2P Invoice Discounting platform in India, bridging esteemed blue-chip companies and eager investors. Our goal is to transform the investment landscape in India by establishing a comprehensive destination for borrowers and investors with diverse profiles and needs, all while minimizing risk. What sets Falcon apart is the elimination of intermediaries such as commercial banks and depository institutions, allowing investors to enjoy higher yields.
2. I can’t believe how quickly time flies…in a couple
months, OptionSIZZLE will be celebrating its sixth
year anniversary.
It’s crazy how much interest there is surrounding
unusual options activity…they talk about on
twitter, the TV and on a boatload of websites.
3. It’s great to have choices, learning from different
people and services.
The more individuals who trade options…the
more competitive the market is…allowing for
investors to get in and out of trades faster and
more efficiently.
4. When I first started back in 2008, it wasn’t like
this at all.
In fact, back then there was only one website
writing about unusual options activity and how it
could be used to generate trading ideas. I
understood the power of following the smart
money at an early age.
5. When I was 19, I worked as a runner at the
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).
I’d watch the “locals” follow or copy large
institutional trades…they would have a feel of
who the smart money was and if their orders had
enough impact to push the market in their
direction.
6. It was like a sweet science…but I saw it
work…over and over again.
No doubt, it was definitely an exciting time for
me…I mean I was making a measly $5.75 an
hour…taking a 2-hour train ride (each way) from
the suburbs to Chicago and delivering pizza’s at
night to survive.
However, I had no contacts in the industry… so I
was grateful for the opportunity to watch and
learn from some of the best.
7. The natural progression…or so I thought
In an attempt to further advance my career, I
studied for the series 7 exam and became a
licensed stock broker at the age of 21. The idea of
helping people with their investments, while
earning income for myself seemed like a perfect
fit.
8. As most things in life, if something is too good to
be true…it probably is. I would spend my days
making 600 phone calls a day…prospecting for
clients. The job was all about getting sales…the
more clients you have….the more money you’d
make.
It actually had very little to do with financial
advising or helping clients build wealth.
9. Being young and naïve, I felt that I could change
that…that you could still make money while
helping your clients. So I went back to what I
learned while I was on the CME…I started talking
to prospects and clients about unusual options
activity that I spotted in certain stocks.
10. Going back to what I knew
While being on the floor of the Merc, I spotted
floor traders scalping orders from big firms that
would come into the SP 500 futures pit. When I’d
call prospects, I’d mention to them insider buying
transactions and options activity in Chesapeake
Energy (that is what we were putting new clients
in at the time.)
11. Their CEO, Aubrey McClendon, was big into
buying shares of his stock at certain times.
That’s where I discovered that individual investors
had limited knowledge on how options worked
and how they could actually be used to generate
better returns. Not only that, most of the brokers
at my firm rarely touched options…they felt that
they were too complicated and it would take
away time from the most important
thing…getting new clients and earning
commissions.
12. I was fascinated by options, but I knew that being
a stock broker was not the right fit. However, I
tried to find value from the experience. One of
those, is when I had the chance to broker and
overseas client who we cleared option trades for.
I started jotting down notes and trying to learn
from their success. Unfortunately, my firm was
more concerned about me getting on the phones
and generating commissions.
13. I felt that by learning how trading worked…you’d
be able to recommend better ideas to
clients…hence, keeping them happy and having
them stay with you for the long term. To me this
was more valuable than learning sales
techniques.
Feeling confident of what I had learned so far
about options…I was ready to jump in and try it
for myself.
14. It was not as easy as I thought
My first options trade, I lost $2k in one day… on
an earning trade. As you know, no industry
license exam teaches you how to trade even
though that is where I learned the mechanics
behind options.
15. However, this motivated me to learn more… I
started reading about technical analysis, option
strategies and from other guru types.
I left the brokerage firm and went to another
“advisory firm” where I did some Forex with a
partner… while still focused on building a book of
business. To make a long story short… they
screwed us on commissions and ended going
down as a Ponzi scheme. I bounced to another
firm for a short term…but later went back to the
brokerage firm I started with…this time working
on their trade desk.
16. It was a chance to learn
I was running orders on bonds, stocks and option
trades for high net-worth individuals. This was
another opportunity to see how the smart money
was participating in the market. I was getting paid
and learning at the same time…another valuable
experience in my life.
17. While still working on the trading desk, I founded
StockStar Capital. Running the show, I had the
ability to teach clients what I had learned about
options trading and how they could use leverage
to better enhance their returns.
18. In the summer of 2008, the stock market started
declining…a lot of firms began cutting staff…mine
was one of them…and I was out of the job. So I
put more of my focus on StockStar Capital…but I
didn’t have enough assets under management
yet, to make it my sole source of income.
I wanted to do things right…and it was going to
take some time to build my business.
19. So I reached out to the only website (at the time)
that wrote about unusual options activity and
submitted my resume. I was a big fan of their
work and thought it would be a great opportunity
to enhance what I already knew about options.
Well,
I never heard back from them…
21. …I built my own website, OptionSIZZLE.com in
October 2008. With only one player in town, I felt
there was plenty of room to grow. Not only that,
but I am a firm believer that competition breeds
innovation and makes everyone work harder.
After all, I knew what they were doing because I
had access to time and sales from when I had
worked on the trading desk.
22. “Competition is not only the basis of protection
to the consumer, but this the incentive to
progress.” ~ Herbert Hoover
23. I felt my experience, knowledge and expertise
would bring more opportunity for those looking
to learn about options… and an approach that I
knew worked…all for a lower price than what
they were charging their customers.
I even thought we could (or would) work together
at some point in the future.
24. I didn’t take personal that they didn’t call me
back. Maybe they just didn’t have room for
me…but I knew this what I wanted to do.
Back then, I was using two different services that
helped me identify unusual options activity…I
would write about the most interesting orders on
my website for free.
25. Things started to go very smoothly.
After picking up steam and realizing that there
was an actual market demand for this type of
analysis… I started charging customers through a
subscription based service. I was even getting
media attention from the likes of Bloomberg
Businessweek and the New York Post…several
more followed after.
26. One of the hardest periods in my professional
career
But in early 2009…a bomb was dropped on me. I
got slapped with a cease and desist at 5:30 pm on
a Friday evening… to shut down my website by
the following Monday…and get this…it was from
the guys who I once admired…who motivated me
to start OptionSIZZLE.com.
27. I was confused, shocked, flat out scared and
pissed. I didn’t get it…what did I do wrong, I’d ask
myself? Were they trying to strong arm me? Was
it because I didn’t wear my hair in a ponytail?
On my road to getting towards OptionSIZZLE.com
I’ve been kicked around, lied to and verbally
abused in this industry, taking it all on the
chin…hoping to make a name for myself and
become someone.
28. I knew I had to fight this because I felt I didn’t do
anything wrong nor did they even allow me a
chance to make a change or notify me about their
exact concerns….. They just wanted me gone!
Starting out though, I had limited resources and I
was going up against a business that had a lot
more legal muscle than me. I was frightened and
angry…I felt just because they had more money
that they could just simply drown me in legal fees
and bully me out of business.
29. Now, in today’s business world, we see this type
of behavior a lot…the big guy trying to strong arm
the little guy out of business.
30. Catching a small break
Luck was on my side…
…I was able to get connected with a non-profit
law firm in Chicago who was interested in my
case. After hearing my side of the story and
seeing the facts…they introduced me to a law
firm that was willing to fight for me.
31. It’s pretty wild…here we had a non-profit law firm
interested in my case…granted I was a for profit
business. They went out of their way to introduce
me to the proper help I needed. Not only that,
but I felt that my accusers thought I would pack
my bags and fold…but with legal support behind
me…I was willing to call their bluff with greater
confidence.
32. Despite this, it was an extremely overwhelming
period for me, pushed into court, managing client
money through the worst financial crisis since the
great depression and running a new website. The
stress would get to anyone…and I was still in my
mid 20s.
33. (In 2010, I stopped managing client money to
focus solely on OptionSIZZLE. My last year, I was
acting more like a shrink than a money
manager…that took a toll on me. I learned a lot
during that period. I wasn’t as successful as I
envisioned. I took on more than I realized…but
was thankful for that opportunity, I tried my
hardest to do the best for my clients.)
34. Don’t believe everything you hear
Now, there has been some things written about
me on the lawsuit and my services. The truth is
that OptionSIZZLE was never shut down…not
even for one single day. Some claimed that I was
taking ideas from other websites etc. But that is
pure ignorance on their part.
35. You see, today, you can go on twitter and type $
sign and a stock symbol…you might see 5-10
posts about unusual options activity in a
particular stock name.
Why? Because there are more services that offer
this information…and more people are aware of
it.
36. During that time when this stuff came out, it
hurt… I was just trying to live my dream and
passion. I saw an opportunity to create
something… and it felt like some were trying to
beat me up, which was the case.
However, that’s part of the game…by being out
there, I’ve been able to help a lot of
people…which trumps negative feedback from
people who don’t truly understand what you’re
about.
38. Every option trade that hits the exchange floor
must be reported to the Options Price Reporting
Authority (OPRA). It’s not proprietary
information, time and sales is public information.
I know a lot of traders and investors who use
unusual options activity as their main source of
idea generation. They have no interest about
tweeting their trades or writing about it…all they
care about is making money…they could do
without the recognition.
39. Would you rather be the first person to act on the
trade or the first person to announce to the world
you spotted the unusual options activity?
Unfortunately, the options education business is
driven by monster-sized egos.
40. However, there was a lot of confusion about this a
couple years ago. As investors become more
educated on the subject…they can see how silly
those claims were.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really help my cause…when
clients would ask about how I detected unusual
options activity…I would tell them that my
method was proprietary.
41. Through age and experience I feel that my
wisdom ripened…I’ve become more open about
my process (as evidenced by SIZZLE Method
Report) that teaches what software I use and how
I go about spotting the best opportunities.
With the experience I have been able to obtain in
this industry, working professionally and now a
normal investor like you, I really find satisfaction
from teaching other investors how they can use
options to enhance returns on their
portfolio…while still being able to actively trade
my personal account.
42. The future looks bright
Yes, we are approaching our six year
anniversary…the road was a bumpy one…but the
future looks bright. I’m glad that there are more
services out there talking about unusual options
activity. As mentioned earlier, competition brings
out the best in people.
43. Over the years, I’ve learned how to hone my skills
in trading, by conducting research… in the form of
trades and testing what really works. While I
started OptionSIZZLE on trading unusual options
activity, I have created an approach to the market
that I feel is unique.
I use all aspects of options… from selling premium
to buying it…along with using unusual options
activity to create better probabilities of success…
with the goal of creating above average returns
on a consistent basis.
44. Like dieting, people want the fastest, cheapest
and easiest way to get fit. The same could be said
about option investing…they want the fastest,
cheapest and easiest way to learn and become
profitable.
The thing is…if it was so easy…everyone would be
doing it…and the rewards would not be nearly as
great. My road to getting here wasn’t smooth
sailing…but the rewards make it all worthwhile.
45. Being able to look back, I feel that I opened the
door for some of the services you see today. I
also take pride in the fact that OptionSIZZLE was
that much of a threat in its early days… that the
only player in town invested a pretty penny to
take us out.
46. I look forward to helping you and others for many
years to come in becoming better investor
with……. options.
To your wealth, freedom & options,
Joshua Belanger
47. (While I can’t disclose the specifications of the
settlement, the case was settled outside court.)
Has there ever been a time in your life where
you’ve felt so overwhelmed that you didn’t think
there was an end in site? If so, I’d be grateful to
hear your story.
48. Join For Free To Receive My Ideas & Market Commentary I Only
Share In Email