Recently, I enrolled in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan offered by my employer. The plan is typical of its kind and allows employees set aside a portion of total compensation to purchase company stock at a discount to market value. A potentially profitable feature is locking up a low stock price for a 24-month period.

I do plan to be disciplined with the plan. Every six months, as soon as the stock is deposited in my account, I plan to sell at the market price and earn a sure 17% return. Of course, the plan has the potential to deliver outsized gains. As fellow blogger Jose Anes points out in this post, ESPP is the closest thing to a free lunch, so I plan to take full advantage of it.