Cash-Secured Put Analysis - Maximum Daily Options Income

Date: December 29, 2025 Buying Power: $2,487.77 Strategy: Phil Town Style Cash-Secured Puts Target: 30-45 DTE, 20-30 Delta

Current Stock Prices (December 2025)

Ticker Current Price In $20-30 Range? Notes
SOFI ~$30-32 ✓ YES Recent ATH $32.73 (Nov 2025), very volatile
F $13.46 ✗ NO (too low) Dividend yield 4.39%
BAC $53.57 ✗ NO (too high) Strong financials, stable
PLTR $188.71 ✗ NO (too high) Up 150%+ in 2025, very expensive
AMD $214.99 ✗ NO (too high) Up 80% in 2025, AI boom

IMPORTANT: Only SOFI and F are reasonably close to the $20-30 target range. The others (BAC, PLTR, AMD) are significantly more expensive and would require much more capital.

Analysis: SOFI (Best Fit for Your Criteria)

Current Price: ~$30-32 Stock Characteristics: High growth fintech, very volatile (good for premium collection)

Cash-Secured Put Setup (30-45 DTE, 0.25 delta)

  • Strike Price: $28-29 (approximately 7-10% OTM)
  • Delta: ~0.25 (25% probability of assignment)
  • Expected Premium: $0.80-$1.20 per share
  • Collateral Required: $2,800-2,900 per contract (100 shares)
  • Max Contracts with $2,487.77: 0 contracts ❌

Problem: Even SOFI requires $2,800+ in collateral per contract, which exceeds your buying power.

Analysis: F - Ford (Only Viable Option)

Current Price: $13.46 Stock Characteristics: Stable dividend payer (4.39% yield), moderate volatility

Cash-Secured Put Setup (30-45 DTE, 0.25 delta)

  • Strike Price: $12.50 (approximately 7% OTM)
  • Delta: ~0.25
  • Expected Premium: $0.30-$0.45 per share (estimated)
  • Collateral Required: $1,250 per contract
  • Max Contracts with $2,487.77: 1 contract ✓

Income Calculation (F Stock)

Premium per share:        $0.35 (mid estimate)
Premium per contract:     $35.00 (100 shares)
Total contracts:          1
Total premium collected:  $35.00
DTE:                      37 days (mid-point)

Daily Income:             $35.00 / 37 = $0.95/day
Weekly Income:            $0.95 × 7 = $6.65/week
Annualized Return:        ($35 / $1,250) × (365/37) = 27.6%
Premium-to-Collateral:    2.8%

Alternative Analysis: Splitting Capital Across Multiple F Contracts

Since Ford is the only stock you can afford with your buying power, you could:

Option 1: Conservative (1 contract, $12.50 strike)

  • Collateral: $1,250
  • Premium: ~$35
  • Daily income: ~$0.95/day
  • Remaining cash: $1,237 (idle)

Option 2: Aggressive (2 contracts, different expirations)

  • Contract 1: $12.50 strike, 30 DTE, ~$30 premium
  • Contract 2: $12.00 strike, 45 DTE, ~$40 premium
  • Total collateral: $2,450
  • Total premium: ~$70
  • Daily income: ~$1.70/day (~$12/week)
  • Remaining cash: $37

Why Other Stocks Don’t Work

BAC ($53.57)

  • Strike at 0.25 delta: ~$50
  • Collateral needed: $5,000 per contract
  • You’d need $5,000 minimum (201% more than you have)

PLTR ($188.71)

  • Strike at 0.25 delta: ~$175
  • Collateral needed: $17,500 per contract
  • You’d need $17,500 minimum (603% more than you have)

AMD ($214.99)

  • Strike at 0.25 delta: ~$200
  • Collateral needed: $20,000 per contract
  • You’d need $20,000 minimum (704% more than you have)

FINAL RECOMMENDATION

🎯 With $2,487.77, Sell Puts on FORD (F):

Best Setup:

  • Stock: F (Ford Motor Company)
  • Strategy: Sell 1-2 cash-secured puts
  • Strike: $12.50
  • Expiration: 35-40 days out (aim for late January/early February 2026)
  • Expected Premium: $30-40 per contract
  • Contracts: 1 contract (conservative) or 2 contracts (aggressive)

Income Projection:

  • Premium Collected: $35-70 total
  • Daily Income: $0.95-1.90/day
  • Weekly Income: $6.65-13.30/week
  • Annualized Return: 27-30%

Risk: If assigned, you’ll buy 100-200 shares of Ford at $12.50/share.

  • Effective cost basis: $12.15-12.20 (strike minus premium)
  • Ford pays 4.39% dividend ($0.60/year), so you’d earn ~$60-120/year in dividends
  • You’d own a quality dividend stock at a discount

Reality Check: Meeting Your Income Goals

To generate meaningful daily income ($10/day = $300/month), you would need:

Option 1: Larger capital

  • $10/day × 37 DTE = $370 premium needed
  • At 3% premium rate → Need ~$12,300 buying power
  • Could sell 10 Ford contracts or 4 SOFI contracts

Option 2: Higher risk strategies

  • Credit spreads (less collateral required)
  • Iron condors (collect premium both sides)
  • 0-DTE or weekly options (higher premium, higher risk)

Option 3: Portfolio margin account

  • 2-5x leverage on options
  • Requires $25,000 minimum
  • Much higher risk

Summary Table

Ticker Current Price Collateral/Contract Max Contracts Premium/Contract Total Premium Daily Income Weekly Income
F $13.46 $1,250 1-2 $35 $35-70 $0.95-1.90 $6.65-13.30
SOFI $30-32 $2,800-2,900 0 $80-120 $0 $0 $0
BAC $53.57 $5,000 0 $100-150 $0 $0 $0
PLTR $188.71 $17,500 0 $350-500 $0 $0 $0
AMD $214.99 $20,000 0 $400-600 $0 $0 $0

Winner: Ford (F) - Only stock you can trade with current buying power

Sources

Note: These are estimates based on typical options premiums for stocks at these price levels. Actual premiums vary based on:

  • Current implied volatility (IV)
  • Exact expiration date
  • Market conditions
  • Bid-ask spread

To get exact premium quotes, check live options chains at:

  • Yahoo Finance options chain
  • Barchart.com
  • ThinkorSwim
  • Interactive Brokers
  • Robinhood