<prompt> Human: I was talking to a guy in a bar the other night, who was making a case for trading options over stock. As I understand it, it seems like a low risk, low yield maybe medium risk, medium yield means of investment, over a slower period of time as opposed to stock trading. Does anyone have experience with both, and would they be willing to help me out with a pros and cons? Im new to personal finance, but Im interested in getting started right.  <response>: Check out rinvesting for advice. Standard personal finance advice should be no single stocks or options unless youre a pro and have play money.I trade options every once in a while. Its a good way to get exposure to high gains with little risk... but you absolutely have to stay on top of things to avoid options executing and putting you into margin games that you may not understand or may not be able to cover. Options are also a very good way to slowly lose a whole lot of money if your crystal ball isnt functioning. 