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The week's question
In December 2024, in the thread "Re: BRK: Why Not XOM?", BreckHutHigh asked the members: "What about the long road trips with kids?" This week it is put to everyone again. The button below opens the small thread re-asking it - read what others have said so far, then give your own answer as an ordinary reply.
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Stocks A to Z / Stocks B / Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)
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Author: rayvt 🐝  😊 😞
Number: of 21944 
Subject: Re: Buffett continuous selling,
Date: 02/17/25 10:12 AM
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No. of Recommendations: 9
Instead of buying those calls for ~$130 (150 - 16% gain), you could have simply bought stock for ~$320 (half as many shares) and now had a ~50% gain in a much simpler manner, with fewer decisions to be made.


When I bought the call, BRK was 358, the Jan'26 260 call was 129.47.
When I sold the call, BRK was 383 (up 7.0%) and the call was 150 (up 15.9%). 2.27X leverage.

Of course there was no way to know that BRK would continue going up to near 500. You cannot fault yourself or others for not having a crystal ball.


...fewer decisions...
It's not a lot of decisions. Grab the P/B once a week or month, see if it is below 1.35, if so sell 1/2 the shares and buy DITM LEAP.
Or above 1.55, if so sell the LEAP and buy shares.



Buying high priced (ITM) calls gives you a little leverage, but you then suffer the loss of that time premium week after week after week.

When done right -- meaning at the proper P/B to buy -- the time value isn't all that much.
Eyeballing some of my old data, the TV looks to be around 15% of the call's price.
The delta is close to 1, giving you about 2X leverage.

Now, of course, is not the time to be buying DITM LEAPs.



...gives you a little leverage...

Depends on how you think if it. To an options dabbler, 2X leverage is pathetic.
To a stock dabbler, 2X leverage at a low (pseudo-)interest rate is pretty darn good.
Don't think of this as an options strategy; think of it as a cheap leverage strategy.
An UNCALLABLE fixed-duration margin loan.
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This community has written 21,448 posts about Berkshire Hathaway. The article-length ones it recommended most:
BRK: Why Not XOM? · 62 recs · 2024
Second quarter comments · 60 recs · 2023
Berkshire's Profit Contributors · 57 recs · 2023
Summary of 2Q 2026 · 54 recs · 2026
3Q Summary · 53 recs · 2024
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