Options vs Stock begineer

[nohnigeTalwb88]

Like i watched the videos on dough.com and tastytrade, they suggest 100% to go into options, also i have stared the optionseducation.org training, but i bought few books recommended here like: Rule #1 and the little Book That Still Beats the Market which recommend buying stocks.. but i feel like i would need more time and patience to buy stocks compared with options?

[Occanynus]

Option strategies can be used in conjunction with stock purchases. Just buying a stock and holding it is a 50/50 shot....maybe you win maybe you lose. However with option strategies you are able to define your risk and probabilities, lower you cost basis, etc. Options also allow you to trade smaller thus spreading your risk around and trade more often. This is especially important for smaller accounts. If you create an account with TDA through the dough.com link you will get a substantial fee reduction and then will be able to use the Thinkorswim platform which has realistic paper trading where you can test your strategies with fake money in real time.
Tastytrade has archived videos for beginners in the "Where Do I Start" and "Back To Cool" series. Also Thinkorswim has archived and daily seminars that are all free.
Even if all you do is buy stock you should still understand things like options volatility, probabilities and covered calls etc.

Net/Net more money is probably made from selling trading ideas than the trades them

[NydiaLujan]

Before anything I must say avoid penny stocks. Now that that's out of the way, stocks and options can both provide quick money. I know this because I used to be a scalper turned day trader then a swing trader and finally a position trader (it seems the more money you make the more patience you get too). Then just early this month I started trading options for the public real $ portfolio on my website.

You can define your risk equally with options and stocks so long as you have the proper knowledge.

From experience a 30% gain in my stock trades can equal to a 300% gain in options providing you are properly allocated for both instruments. Options seem super exciting with huge percentage gains but dollar for dollar they seem about equal.

The thing with Options you have to keep in mind is that although it's quick money you have to contend with Implied Volatility, Delta, Time Decay and the underlying stock price movement which affects your profit. You may be shocked when you find that you are right about a stocks movement but your Option trade either does nothing or goes the opposite way losing you money. Not saying don't trade Options, I'm saying there's a lot to learn.

With stocks you only have to contend with it going up or down.

[ofuvivukoneej]

So i stared reading and learning about 1/2 weeks ago about all this investment world, but im having a bit of an issue on on what type of investment to focus/learn on.. Buy stocks vs options.. So basically im low budget, and i dont want to buy a stock today and wait 1 year to make money on it.. Most books i have read kinda state that to buy stocks and make profits from them one must hold them for about a year, that will be kinda boring no? specially since i only have 2.5k-3.0k to invest.. So is my only choice options?