Option LEAPS

LEAPS have nothing to do with how high a basketball player can jump, or anything a frog does, or even those crazy years that come along every four years when February has 29 days.

Option LEAPS are simply options that have a long life span, usually a year or more. There is no precise time period for when an option is called a LEAP, but the one-year lifespan is generally accepted to be about when it starts.

An option might start out being a LEAP, but over time as there are fewer months remaining until it expires, it is no longer called a LEAP.

LEAPS is an acronym for Long-term Equity AnticiPationS. Most LEAPS expire in January, but in the past few years, additional long-term months have been offered for many underlying stocks.

One of the most popular use of LEAPS is as the long side in a calendar spread. A person buys a LEAP which goes down very slowly in value and simultaneously sells someone else a short-term option at the same strike price which goes down much faster in value. For a free report on how calendar spreads work, go to How to Make 70% a Year With Calendar Spreads.