Wheel Income (Puts + Covered Calls)
US core
A 50/50, monthly-refreshed blend of the cash-secured put-write and covered-call ETF baskets — the always-on, listed expression of the options 'wheel' (sell puts, then covered calls). It sells the same short-volatility premium as its two parts, so it's a distinct portfolio, not a second edge. Expect a smoother ride with materially less upside than a stock index; a fund's headline yield is not its total return. No edge over holding the underlying is claimed.
This strategy's universe (7) →
Worst stretch in the backtest: -16.7% — a simulated $1,000 would have dipped to ~$833 before recovering.
Backtest window: 2020-06-30 → 2026-06-30 · as of 2026-06-30 (updated quarterly)
This window does not include the COVID crash (Feb–Mar 2020) and the 2008 financial crisis.
Full methodology & limitations
Track records are simulated backtests, not live results. Methodology and current limitations: (1) Universe membership is real point-in-time index constituents - Nasdaq-100 (US) and WIG20 (PL), with dated add/drop history - so backtests see each index as it actually was, with no survivorship from later additions. Prices are adjusted close (total-return). When the backtest runs on the licensed, delisted-capable feed (EODHD), index members that later delisted or renamed are still priced and INCLUDED, closing the survivorship gap on the price side; when it runs on the keyless fallback feed, some delisted names are unpriced and dropped, which can flatter drawdowns. Two smaller residuals remain: the EU sleeve plus WIG20's most recent quarters are not yet point-in-time membership, and a few long-delisted tickers may still be unresolved. (2) Costs are charged per market on each rebalance's turnover - 5 bps for US names, 10 bps for EU, 20 bps for Warsaw (GPW) - the conservative end of typical half-spread-plus-fees for liquid names; market impact and FX conversion are not modelled (negligible at retail size, understated for large money). (3) Prices are total-return (dividends reinvested) where the data feed supports it. (4) Sharpe and Sortino use a flat 3%/yr cash (risk-free) rate, approximately the average US T-bill yield over the backtest window; actual cash rates varied 0-5% within it and Polish rates were mostly higher, so ratios are approximate. (5) Cross-market calendar gaps are bridged by carrying the last known price forward, which can modestly understate day-to-day volatility. (6) Rebalances are simulated at the same closing price the signal is computed from (close-to-close execution); a live follower trades at the next session's prices, so simulated results may differ from what next-bar execution would have produced. Past simulated performance does not predict future results.
Hover any metric above — I'll explain what it means.
How you'd carry it out in your broker
Every model portfolio update publishes as a plain list of tickers and weights — the exact same file for every subscriber. Here's the general shape of loading that into four popular brokers; the actual tickers and weights only appear once you unlock this strategy.
This strategy has averaged 0.0 changes in the model portfolio per month, over its last publications.
XTB, Trading 212, IBKR, Revolut
XTB
- Each published ticker is searchable in the XTB app/web platform.
- XTB has no basket/pie import — each ticker's published weight is its share of the model portfolio; whether and how much to trade is your own decision.
Trading 212
- Portfolio → Pies → Create Pie.
- Each published ticker goes in with its published weight % — the Pie then tracks that allocation for you.
Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
- Once unlocked, the model portfolio downloads as a CSV.
- Classic TWS: File → Import Watchlist reads that file — each ticker's published weight is its share of the model portfolio.
Revolut
- Each published ticker is searchable in the Invest tab.
- Revolut has no basket import — each ticker's published weight is its share of the model portfolio; whether and how much to trade is your own decision.
General information about loading a published, identical-for-everyone list into a broker — not a personal recommendation. Whether and how much to trade is your own decision, in your own account; we never trade on your behalf.
Track record
Chart data (year by year)
| Year | Simulated return |
|---|---|
| 2020 (from Jun) | +16.5% |
| 2021 | +20.7% |
| 2022 | -10.6% |
| 2023 | +14.1% |
| 2024 | +16.9% |
| 2025 | +8.1% |
| 2026 | +2.8% (to 2026-06-30) |
Dashed line = Safe Yield (the risk-free rate) — the cash reference point.
Simulated backtest — methodology & limitations above, next to the stats.
This month's model portfolio
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How it works — in plain words
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Live since 2026-07-28 through 2026-08-31: 1.7% (1 mo) — the result of the published portfolios, entering at the next session's close. This is not a backtest.
divo.us, jepq.us, qyld.us, xyld.us: marked at their last available close (no print after the rebalance).
putw.us: not priced after publication — held as cash.
jepi.us, ryld.us: top-up not executed — the extra weight stayed in cash.
Update history
| As of | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-03 | Model update: no material change this month |
| 2026-08-03 | Model update: no material change this month |
| 2026-07-27 | Initial model portfolio published (7 position(s)) |
Grounded in published research
The peer-reviewed findings this strategy is built on:
- Whaley, R. (2002). Return and Risk of CBOE Buy Write Monthly Index. Journal of Derivatives, 10(2). (the covered-call side of the wheel: index-like return at lower volatility, upside capped)
- Ungar, J. & Moran, M. (2009). The Cash-Secured PutWrite Strategy and Performance of Related Benchmark Indexes. Journal of Alternative Investments, 11(4). (the put-write side: index-like returns at lower volatility)
- Bondarenko, O. (2014). Why Are Put Options So Expensive? Quarterly Journal of Finance, 4(3). (the source of the premium the wheel collects — pay for bearing crash/tail risk, not free income; and via put-call parity the two sleeves are one bet, not two edges)
A documented, peer-reviewed effect — cited so you can read the source yourself, not take our word for it. Implementation and results are ours (see methodology); the underlying finding is the literature's.
Understand this strategy
Plain-language explainers behind the mechanics above.
This strategy's rules and every model-portfolio update are written and run by Antoni Zieliński, HedgeYourOwn's founder — not a committee, not a black box. He is not an investment adviser.