My years in the military have allowed me to see the world in a totally different way.

While deployed overseas I tracked IED locations, went on convoy missions and gathered intelligence from local villages. I learned the importance of analyzing data to forecast what was likely to happen, and I used this information to determine the level of risk our soldiers were dealing with.

My service opened my eyes to the bigger picture — not just in the military, but in everyday life. My experience assessing risk in the military taught me to think outside the box and take different approaches to problems or situations, including the financial markets.

Today, there are myriad investing techniques and strategies. And when I was first introduced to them, like most I found myself overwhelmed.

That’s where my training came in handy, because I was able to look at the market from a different angle.

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As I put my years of service analyzing data and forecasting and assessing risk to work, I was instantly drawn to one particular strategy…

Generate Immediate Income With the RICH System

Specifically, I started selling put options.

Options have a negative stigma, but when used correctly, they can be powerful income-generating tools, safe enough for retirees. In fact, we call the strategy I use the Retirement Income Cash-Haul — or RICH — System.

Here’s an easy way to understand how it works. Imagine your dream house in your hometown (a good stock). It’s in a great neighborhood with great schools — everything you ever wanted in a home. You know you would love to own this home at almost any price, but you want to get a good deal on it.

Let’s say this home is worth $500,000 (like a stock’s share price). You walk over to the owner of your dream house and offer to buy his home if the value drops below $450,000 (your strike price) in the next 30 days. In return, the homeowner gives you $1,000 (your premium) for the right, but not the obligation to sell you the house at this predetermined price of $450,000. 

Why would he do this?

For the same reason we buy insurance on a home or vehicle — the assurance that we will get some value out of our property in case something unfortunate happens.

In this case, the owner of this dream home is willing to fork over $1,000 for the assurance that he can sell his home for $450,000 even if suddenly the market says it’s worth only $400,000.

And you’re willing to take the risk of buying this home for $450,000 because this is a beautiful, structurally sound house that you’ve done your research on.

When the 30 days go by, the deal with your neighbor expires. If the house is worth $450,000.01 or more, you don’t get to buy it for $450,000, but you do get to keep that $1,000 (the premium you collected) as pure profit. And if the house’s value has dropped under $450,000, then you get to purchase your dream home at an incredible discount.

This is as close to a win-win strategy as it gets. You either get to buy your dream home for a discount, or you get to pocket the $1,000 premium you collected upfront as pure profit.

How to Choose the Right Put Options to Sell

Just like finding your dream home, finding the right stocks and the right options to use requires research.

I dive deep into company balance sheets, income statements and cash flow statements to identify stocks to use with the RICH System.

The companies I sell puts on must pass my fitness test. They must have strong financials and great management, reward their shareholders and provide a product or service that will be used for decades to come.

For example, in January, I recommended selling puts on Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) — our “dream house” in this example. Despite a recent earnings miss, my research showed shares were incredibly undervalued and DAL was an excellent long-term buy.

In other words, this was a stock that I would be happy to buy shares of — and that is the key to successfully selling put options.

I told followers of the RICH System to sell put options with a strike price of $38 that expired in March. For every contract sold — one contract controls 100 shares — we generated $53 in instant income (our premium).

At the time we sold the puts, DAL was trading around $44. If shares fell below $38 (our strike price), then we would have been able to buy 100 shares of a company we wanted to own anyway, at a discount — for $38 instead of $44. 

But the stock didn’t fall. On the contrary, by the time the trade expired in March, the stock was trading above $50 per share. So we got to keep our original $53 premium.

So far, the RICH System has been working out great. Since February 2013, we’ve closed 131 trades and 128 have made a profit — an astonishing 98% win rate (see my first 124 winners here).

If you’ve ever worried about whether you will have enough money in retirement, the Retirement Income Cash-Haul System may be exactly what you’re looking for.

I’ve put together a special presentation on how you can get started today and potentially pocket $386 by Thursday. Watch it here for free.