Patent ID: 7475033

Claim:
A method of protecting at least a portion of an initial investment value of an investment made by one or more investors, comprising the steps of: providing a business entity; electing the business entity to be treated as a regulated investment company; determining using an option-based instrument calculator; a first value of a set of put option-based instruments at initial investment in the set of put option-based instruments, the set of put option-based instruments having a first underlying reference; and a second value of a set of call option-based instruments at initial investment in the set of call option-based instruments, the set of call option-based instruments having a second underlying reference, the first underlying reference being the same as or substantially correlated to the second underling reference, so that the sum of the first value and the second value is less than the initial investment value; holding positions using the business entity in the set of put option-based instruments and the set of call option-based instruments, so that the sets of put option-based instruments and call option-based instruments provide that at least a portion of the initial investment value at maturity of the investment; and making available the at least a portion of the initial investment value to the one or more investors upon the maturity of the investment.