Advisors Option 39: The Retirement Gordion Knot

The Buzz: Today's guest is Marc Odo, Director of Investor Solutions, Swan Global Investments, and author of "The Retirement Conundrum: Untying the Gordian Knot" Good, Bad, and Ugly Q4 2015 review: This has been the worst start of a trading year in history. Volatility is elevated across all products - from VIX to crude oil How does this current environment impact options trading? Is this a good time to consider hedging strategies? Income strategies? New study: An analysis of index option writing with monthly and weekly rollover First comprehensive study to examine strategy benchmark with traditional stock, bond indexes incorporating weeklys options. Office Hours: Listener questions and comments Question from James M. - Watching my trading screens this earnings season I am struck by my need for extra hedging in my portfolio. But when i look at the prices for protection for names like apple going into earnings the costs seem prohibitive. In your opinion is it worth paying the additional earnings premium for protection in these volatile periods? Do you have any strategies to mitigate the cost of this protection? Question from JValerio1 - The robots are invading the advising space! I know a few of my colleagues are concerned about these services cannibalizing their business. What are your thoughts about these services and “Robo Advisors” when it comes to options? Is this an issue with these products as well?