From July 10th until October 6th, I told my subscribers to short Potash Corp. (POT). By the time we covered our position, we had locked in an impressive 65% gain! This, of course, is to say nothing of the 158.62% and 509.52% gains we made by selling the September puts.

So how is it that I can lock in these high profits when most investors have had their slates wiped clean?

The answer is simple: My investment strategy is an all-encompassing mix of going long, going short and buying options.

We are in a period of considerable economic uncertainty, friends, which is why "buying and holding" just doesn't cut it anymore. Yes, it is frightening to think there's no end in sight to the market's collapse—a crash scenario is scary for anyone! But our ultimate goal as investors is to lock in our profits, solidify our cash positions and be prepared for whatever comes next.

And the best way to do that is to take advantage of the market's broader downward trend. Shorting stocks and betting on declining stocks is a great investing strategy because a stock that's dropped off its highs can be just as profitable as staking a long position in a stock that's heading up.

One of the sectors my subscribers and I have profited nicely in is…