Poor Man's Covered Calls (PMCC)
What It Is
A synthetic covered call using:
- Long LEAPS (deep ITM long-dated calls)
- Short near-term calls
Risk Level
🟡 Medium
(hidden greeks learning curve)
Capital Required
$1,000–$5,000 per position
Good for mid-cap accounts ($10k–$50k)
When to Use
- When you want covered call income but cheaper
- When you have conviction in long-term upward trend
When to Avoid
- High IV decay environments
- Companies with unclear long-term picture
Progression Fit
Great for scaling to multiple positions without holding 100 shares.