Why Doc Is in This Business

Doc Eifrig's origin story at Stansberry Research... Convincing Porter... Why you should sell options... How Retirement Trader was born... Tomorrow, Doc will hit 200 straight wins... Payday is coming... Get in on his next winners...

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I (Dr. David 'Doc' Eifrig) got my start in this business by writing about olive oil and sunshine...

I'm serious. You can read those issues here and here.

You see, I met Stansberry Research founder (and my friend) Porter Stansberry more than 17 years ago through my brother. I was working as an eye surgeon at the time. Porter liked my ideas about how individuals should take control of their health... understand the latest medical research... and challenge the conventional wisdom that most doctors spoon-feed their patients.

Porter wanted to do more to help his readers live a good life, not just make money. So I started writing essays about health for Stansberry Research. That was my passion at the time, and it still is.

During my early years writing about health, I even helped save a man's life with an essay on prostate cancer. You can read about that interaction here.

Of course, I may have started with health essays... but Stansberry subscribers got my expertise as a former derivatives trader at Goldman Sachs in the deal, too.

My team and I soon launched the Retirement Millionaire newsletter with the idea that folks wanted to hear not only from an M.D. but also from the same guy with an MBA and experience on Wall Street.

Our timing was, in a way, perfect...

At that moment, we were in the depths of the 2008 financial crisis...

I noted to Porter that this was the ideal time to sell options – something that I eventually recommended to my Retirement Millionaire subscribers. I remember talking with Porter about stocks with implied volatility above 100 (a crazy-high number... meaning folks were scared out of their mind and were willing to pay sky-high prices for options protection).

If that doesn't mean much to you, you're not alone.

As skilled as Porter was in picking stocks and investing, like many investors, he had long ignored options. He knew only a little about them and even less about how they worked. So he stuck to his area of expertise in picking high-quality businesses.

But when we reviewed the math of the opportunities amid the market collapse in 2008, I was able to convince him that even the best stock pickers ought to use options.

Similarly, I have written in the Digest before about the reasons why you should consider selling options. (We made the case most recently back in December here and here.)

Back in late 2008, the market was nearing a bottom, but you could still earn huge premiums – income, month after month – by selling puts or covered calls. (Again, I detailed how these trades work just a few months ago in the Digest here.)

By selling these options, you can pick a great business that you want to buy at a great price... and get paid to wait for the stock to come down. What's more, in a fearful time, volatility is high. So the premium payments go up.

In times of extreme fear in the markets, like the Great Recession, you can collect thousands of dollars by selling just one options contract (which represents 100 shares of stock).

Newsletters were born...

Porter was especially convinced because I showed him that it was exactly what I was doing with my own money. And it was working.

So he started doing it himself... And we even went so far as to launch one of the very first put-selling trading advisories geared toward everyday investors – the Put Strategy Report.

When the crisis passed, I retooled the strategy to earn generous returns even when the market wasn't in crisis. We launched it as Retirement Trader in 2010, selling options known as covered calls as well as puts.

Had I not earned Porter and his subscribers tens of thousands of dollars (or more) during the financial crisis, I probably would not be part of Stansberry Research today. Nothing proves your worth like making immediate money in the market for Porter's readers.

Since then, my team and I have taken Retirement Trader to new heights. I'm never one to toot my own horn... But there's no doubt that Retirement Trader has become one of the most successful trading services in the history of this industry.

Again, you can read more about my strategy in the past Digest issues I linked to above... But essentially, in Retirement Trader, we collect money from folks who either want to make speculative bets or to purchase "insurance" on their portfolios.

As long as those stocks don't fall much in the couple of months after we sell our options, we make money. And because my team and I focus on safe, blue-chip stocks, we avoid the risks that some folks associate with the options market.

And we almost never lose.

We started Retirement Trader with a modest 137-win streak...

Our first trade in Retirement Trader was in April 2010. We didn't book a loss until more than three years later. In total, we closed 137 winning trades in a row.

Shortly after, we then went on a winning streak of 77 trades, which ended in 2015. It was disappointing, at least to my standards...

We then had a winning streak of 115 trades from 2016 to 2017. But we had never eclipsed our previous long streak of 137.

As you may have heard, though, we've been obliterating that record recently...

As of today, since the COVID-19 market low, we have closed out 199 consecutive trades for gains with no losers.

We're so close to moving the streak above 200... and we're going to cross that threshold when the market closes tomorrow. The way this strategy works, I can confidently say this.

I'm not here to be arrogant...

I'm never the guy who is the loudest in the room bloviating about their achievements. If you've met me or heard me speak in person, you know that. I like to think I'm humble.

But I did want to come forward today because of this incredible achievement – moving our winning streak past the 200 mark.

I don't think anyone else will see a better streak for a long, long time (if ever). Again, I've never seen such results in the history of our business.

I'm personally proud of it...

This may very well go down as my greatest achievement in the newsletter business. (Well, maybe second after hearing from my early reader Ron on how my cancer essay helped save his life.)

I'm proud of the hard work my team and I put in every day to ensure we are making money for our subscribers.

I'm in this because of you... Hearing your stories of how our recommendations are putting your families in a better spot financially.

Over the past couple months, letters from Retirement Trader subscribers have been pouring in. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

This is why I'm in this business...

Take a look at some recent notes we've gotten from subscribers...

From S.G.:

My Retirement Trader profits enable us to have peace of [mind] and enjoy the lifestyle we want to have. The last thing you want to do at my age is worry about paying the bills – so Retirement Trader eliminates anxiety and contributes to life's pleasures. As I reinvest profits into more Retirement Trader activity, our net worth grows, giving us more opportunities...

From B.C.:

Since becoming involved with Retirement Trader many years ago (I think about 15), and learning the process for option trading, and then becoming an Alliance Member, which has provided additional income for my retirement, I follow many of the recommendations and others that are excellent opportunities to improve my ROI [return on investment]. I usually average 10 to 20 trades per month and many times close early if it increases my profit in a shorter time frame. Have had years making $80,000 and lower years at $40,000.

From T.S.:

When I started Retirement Trader it took a few weeks for it all to sink in. Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks! Since then it has paid for a new roof, new furnace, and supplements my social security (approx. $1,000 a month) all without touching my principal in my 401(k).

The investment results described in these testimonials are not typical; investing in securities carries a high degree of risk; you may lose some or all of the investment.

Thank you to everyone who joined us over the years...

I've shown thousands of Retirement Trader subscribers – and Stansberry Alliance members, who also have access, of course – how to trade options this way over the years.

Every time I meet subscribers at conferences or other meetups, I love hearing stories of how much they are making with my trading service. But most important, I love hearing how empowered they feel using my options-selling strategy.

After all, my goal with Retirement Trader is to turn anyone – regardless of experience – into an options expert. This means having confidence in yourself to use the options market to generate monthly income for your family... And we have plenty of subscribers, who – in addition to the trades we recommend in the service – generate hundreds and thousands of dollars of income every month from selling options on their own, on stocks they love.

I've also gotten to train many Stansberry staff members on options over the years. Seeing their level of expertise today – well, there's no better feeling.

It has been a great journey writing Retirement Trader over the past decade-plus.

While we're crossing a milestone that seemed impossible just a few years ago, I'm here to also tell you... We're not done.

Not even close.

With the option trades that are closing for gains tomorrow, our winning streak will move up to 206 trades. I don't see why the streak can't continue to 250, 300, or even more.

Looking ahead to options expiration tomorrow...

Retirement Trader subscribers know that the third Friday of every month is a big day for us. It's when standard options expire.

I call it payday.

This is when our wins become official. And as we hit 200 straight winning trades and look to extend the streak, Corey McLaughlin and the rest of the Digest team have agreed to keep you up to date on our trading in future issues.

We know many Retirement Trader subscribers and Alliance members are steadfast readers of the Digest, so this will be partially a public service for subscribers.

But if you don't already subscribe – or if you're an Alliance member who hasn't tried options yet – maybe after seeing our wins month after month, some of you will be convinced to start your own options journey.

In the Digest, on the Thursday before option expiration, you can expect to find brief highlights of our trades...

This month, we're looking at a few winners...

Specifically, we have trades on four stocks that we're going to close for gains at expiration.

1. Medical-device maker Abbott Laboratories (ABT). Subscribers will earn a profit of around $244 per contract sold.

2. Mega-bank Bank of America (BAC). Subscribers who sold one contract of the covered call will earn a profit of around $224.

3. Consumer-products company Kimberly-Clark (KMB). Subscribers will earn a profit of around $339 per contract sold.

4. The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF). Subscribers who sold one contract will earn a profit of around $300.

In total, we're looking at more than $1,100 in profits, on one contract for each of these trades. (Some of our subscribers make even more by selling multiple contracts on each of our trade recommendations.) And our win streak will increase to more than 200 straight victories.

Next month we're hoping to do even better and get the winning streak above 210...

If you've never tried my options strategy before, now is a perfect time.

Again, we aren't forecasting a loss anytime soon...

And I want you to start your very own winning streak – and start earning hundreds if not thousands of dollars of extra income every month.

If you don't currently subscribe to Retirement Trader or have access as part of your Stansberry Alliance partnership, I hope you will consider joining us.

Because we're crossing a big milestone this week with our 200th win, my publisher has agreed to offer a subscription to Retirement Trader at one of our lowest prices ever.

Click here to learn more and get started today.

You'll hear a little more about my strategy... why I think everyone should try it... and feedback from real folks who've had terrific results with no prior options experience. I hope to see you for the next 200 consecutive wins.

New 52-week highs (as of 3/13/24): ABB (ABBNY), American Financial (AFG), Ascot Resources (AOTVF), Arhaus (ARHS), Atkore (ATKR), Sprott Physical Gold and Silver Trust (CEF), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), Pacer U.S. Cash Cows 100 Fund (COWZ), Copart (CPRT), Dow (DOW), Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), Enerplus (ERF), Diamondback Energy (FANG), GEO Group (GEO), iShares Convertible Bond Fund (ICVT), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Linde (LIN), London Stock Exchange Group (LNSTY), LyondellBasell Industries (LYB), Monster Beverage (MNST), Motorola Solutions (MSI), NVR (NVR), O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY), Procter & Gamble (PG), Parker-Hannifin (PH), PulteGroup (PHM), Phillips 66 (PSX), Rithm Capital (RITM), RenaissanceRe (RNR), Construction Partners (ROAD), SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Value Fund (SPYV), Cambria Shareholder Yield Fund (SYLD), Travelers (TRV), Tenaris (TS), Textron (TXT), ProShares Ultra Financials (UYG), Veeva Systems (VEEV), and Waste Management (WM).

Instead of the usual mailbag today, we want to share a quick note about our annual Stansberry Research Conference & Alliance Meeting... and ask you a few questions.

First, about our conference, which is truly one of the best business-mixed-with-pleasure industry events out there. For those who don't know, at this event, you can hear directly from your favorite Stansberry Research editors, on stage and off, and listen to our always-fascinating lineup of special guests. In past years, it has included figures like Dennis Miller, Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary, and Steve Forbes.

The conference will be back in Las Vegas this fall, at the Aria Resort & Casino, and will be here before you know it. With this in mind, special early-bird ticket pricing is ending at 5 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow. If you reserve your seat between now and then, you can save $450 off your ticket. Click here to find all the details and get your discounted ticket.

Also, I want to know your thoughts about my options strategy... Have you used it over the years in Retirement Trader? What has been your experience? Or have I still not convinced you to give it a try? Send your comments to feedback@stansberryresearch.com.

Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,

Dr. David Eifrig, MD, MBA
Baltimore, Maryland
March 14, 2024