Dykstra's Deep-in-the-Money Call: AXP

If you stray from the system and venture into unfamiliar territory, you may be putting yourself in a tough spot. It's important to be in the best possible position to grab a win. With today's pick, I believe we are.

I'm going with American Express(AXP Quote).

The company is major league and an absolute bargain at this price. It closed at $46.15 on Wednesday, which is well below the high-end of its 52-week range, which is $39.50-$65.89. The stock has fallen 29% in the last year, while the S&P is off 9.11%.

It has $33 billion in the bank and $10.7 billion in operating cash flow. And, it has heavy-duty institutional support. More than 80% of its shares are owned by institutions.

I like American Express ... a lot. It should notch us a win for sure. That's why I am placing an order to buy 10 contracts leaping all the way out until January 2009. I will place a limit order at $17.10 or better for the $30.00 (AXPAF) calls. That should give us plenty of time to lock in a win. Don't forget that if the order is filled, I will place a good-till-cancel (GTC) sell order $1.00 above the fill price.

Always Remember: Life is a journey, enjoy the ride!

Know What You Own: AXP operates in the credit services industry, and some of the other stocks in its field include Discover Financial Services(DFS Quote), Mastercard(MA Quote) and Visa(V Quote). These stocks closed at $17.16, $286.89 and $81.92, respectively. For more on the value of knowing what you own, visit TheStreet.com's Investing A-to-Z section.