Subject: Re: An options strategy
The difference about margin calls is the key salient difference between the two, and makes them night and day situations in terms of risk, which is what is important here.

What Jim says can't be emphasized enough! Your broker can call your margin loan or change the required margin at any time! I have FFH as the top position in several portfolios, last friday IBKR changed the required margin virtually overnight, they 'phased' it in over the weekend. I wasn't using any margin loan but if I had it could have been very inconvenient under certain circumstances to say the least. Too bad that there are no LEAPS available on FFH anymore. I made a nice chunk of money during the GFC with calls.