Chapter 42: The Best Strategy? 937 
out in-the-money. In general, however, the constant purchase of time value premi­
ums, which must waste away by the time the options expire, will have a burdensome 
negative effect. The chances of large profits and large losses are relatively equal on a 
mathematical basis, and thus become subsidiary to the time premium effect in the 
long run. This mathematical outlook, of course, precludes those investors who are 
able to predict stock movements with an above-average degree of accuracy. Although 
the true mathematical approach holds that it is not possible to accurately predict the 
market, there are undoubtedly some who can and many who try. 
SUMMARY 
Mathematical expectations for a strategy do not make it suitable even if the expect­
ed returns are good, for the improbable may occur. Profit potentials also do not 
determine suitability; risk levels do. In the final analysis, one must determine the 
suitability of a strategy by determining if he will be able to withstand the inherent 
risks if the worst scenario should occur. For this reason, no one strategy can be des­
ignated as the best one, because there are numerous attitudes regarding the degree 
of risk that is acceptable.