I agree with the general sentiment. However, many studies have shown that selling slightly in the money, at the money or slightly out of the money puts on the

I agree with the general sentiment. However, many studies have shown that selling slightly in the money, at the money or slightly out of the money puts on the S&P 500 actually beats it's returns over the long run. This is because with selling puts, you make money in 4 out of the 5 possible scenarios. If the stock goes up a lot, you win; if the stock goes up a little, you win; if the stock stays flat, you win; if the stock goes down a little, you win (not quite as much, but still positive); if stock goes down a lot, you lose. That's pretty good odds, much better than being long straight-out IMHO. I mostly sell puts on indexes, but occasionally on stocks that have very high put premiums that I think will at least hold their value. It is riskier and has higher opportunity cost than simply holding indexes, but the potential returns are almost double so it may be worth it. Everyone has to evaluate whether being active or passive investor makes sense for themselves.