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In the 1940s the average holding period for stocks was as high as 10 years. This is unheard of today. Now the average is down below one year and many active traders (day traders, swing traders) are looking at being in open positions for a matter of days, not even weeks or months.

With this new "normal" (created in part by access through the Internet, low trading costs, and markets characterized by high volatility), do options play a role?

In fact, they can. Options are flexible, much cheaper than

This October 14-16, MoneyShow.com will present this year's International Trader's Expo. From the website:

"Join thousands of your fellow traders for this three-day event that will have a substantial impact on your trading success in today's markets. We're bringing together the country's top trading pros with one goal in mind-to teach you their best trading strategies to help you profit in the months ahead."

Registration is free. You can sign up at Las Vegas Traders Expo, where further details are

On the surface, it seems obvious that chasing big dividends is smart trading. But in practice, a double-digit dividend stock may also be a red flag.

Because dividend yield is based on the dividend per share and current price per share, if the price plummets, the yield goes up. A big dividend could result from bigger problems in the fundamentals.

For the purpose of evaluating dividend yield, the reasons behind these changes are not important; what is important is the underlying cause of the decline