I'm not saying those theories are wrong. My suspicion however is that you took that statement out of context and grossly misinterpreted it, and are using that misinterpretation as the basis for the terrible advice you're giving.

If you can articulate exactly why it's "terrible advice" i'll eat my hat.

Here's my advice: If you invest the time to learn how to use derivatives, you can be far more profitable than investing only in stocks (whether companies or index funds). And I've made a lot of money, not by making gambles but by trading a large number of small positions over a long timeline, selling option premium and earnings a fantastic return.

It's a fact that retail investors have under performed as a class. And I didn't invent any of the strategies i'm using, nor did TastyTrade (though they do a great job advocating for and researching them). And I absolutely am delighted to spread the word, even if it means debating people like yourself. Your motivation is, I suppose, an innate certainty in your own correctness. It doesn't seem to matter to you that we're debating a subject that I clearly have a lot more passion about and experience with. And your message to anybody reading is "I can't tell you exactly why this is all bad advice, I'm just sure that it is."

I'm certain that options or futures trading isn't for everybody. But you're certain that it's not right for anybody and you and others here have taken a "shout him down" approach that is very un-HN imho...

Neither disputes that stocks go up over time (ie, movements are not equally distributed). They are more concerned with the difficulty of timing and beating the market.