Good morning, traders…
As we enter a new year, it’s the perfect time to talk about the most important part of any trade:
The exit.
This is the main aspect of my trading that I want to improve in 2026.
Because, while it may feel good to screenshot your 200% in unrealized gains … they’re completely meaningless if you don’t lock them up.
Say it with me…
This year:
We’ll take gains early (and often).
We’ll bank consistent wins instead of swinging for home runs.
Would you rather lock in 50% gains multiple times per week, or watch potential 150% winners turn into 20% losers?
The best setups give you a burst of premium, then stall.
You want to be in and out before the stall shows up, not sitting there watching your gains melt like an ice cube in the hot sun.
If you’ve been noticing your unrealized gains evaporating in short order…
Let Me Show You How To Book Wins Early…
More Time in the Position = More Risk
Every minute you hold an options trade, you invite more risk. Greeks shift, headlines hit, theta decays.
It’s like standing on a melting iceberg hoping the sun takes a break.
A short-dated options trade can go from +40% to break-even … quickly. You’ve seen it. A stall. A reversal. A vol crush.
And what do most traders do? Nothing. They wait. They hope. They tell themselves, “It’ll bounce.” Maybe it does, but usually it doesn’t.
You make your money when the market offers it, not when you think it should.
Early Gains = More Opportunities
Think about your best week this month. The stretch where it was “clicking.” Quick in, quick out, low stress, solid gains.
That’s repeatable. That’s scalable. That’s how good trading businesses run for years.
And if you size your positions correctly, those smaller wins compound much faster than most people think.
Let’s say you’re trading calls with 30%+ targets. You hit that in three days and move on. Do that three times in two weeks and you’re up almost 100%.
How to Make “Early and Often” Work for You
Set targets (and scale-out levels) before you enter.
I might sound like a broken record, but this is the most important part of securing your wins…
Determine the levels at which you will scale out of your gains.
Define a percent gain or dollar amount that you’ll be happy with as a final price target.
Then stick to those levels.
Use Good-Til-Canceled (GTC) orders.
Good-Til-Canceled (GTC) limit orders sell your position at a specific price (and keep that order active until it fills or you cancel it).
Unlike day orders, which expire at the end of the trading day if they’re not filled, GTC orders stay open until your target hits.
You don’t have to watch every tick. You don’t have to guess when the market might pop. You pre-set your targets and let the system do the work.
When your option hits that target price, your broker sells it for you automatically.
You’re often not fast enough to hit the sell button when that moment shows up. GTC orders are.
Don’t second-guess when your target hits.
When your targets hit, don’t look back. Don’t chase the gains that might be left.
Log the win. Move on. Most of the mental wear in trading comes from overthinking exits. Solve that with automation and trust.
Track your outcomes.
Look back on your trades at the end of every month.
How many trades hit your target and kept running? How many reversed?
You’ll find that holding longer often adds risk without much extra reward. Let data (not gut feelings) be your guide.
Unrealized gains don’t pay bills. They’re meaningless without winning exits.*
Taking gains early might feel premature if you’re not used to the practice…
But it will keep your account alive. It will let you sleep better. And it will give you the rhythm and confidence to keep placing winning trades (without holding on for unrealistic grand slams).
Happy trading,
Ben Sturgill
*Past performance does not indicate future results
