the evil investor

[Fresh_Start]

more than half of American households are invested in the stock markets
the mean and median age are about 51
the average investor has less than $25K invested
90% of the investors own tax advantaged investments (401K, IRA, etc)
which means that most of the investors have their retirements invested to some extent in the market

[stillcool]

1. Who cares? I just want to see..

stock brokers jumping out of windows. I know that the 2%'ers will still be just fine, but I want the entire country to go into a depression because I want to see these people suffer. Who knows what will happen when the economy collapses? I just know that I don't want my tax dollars having anything to do with avoiding a credit freeze.

[LeftyFingerPop]

3. How nice.

[stillcool]

8. I was being sarcastic..

I thought it was so obvious that I didn't need a sarcasm tag.

[LeftyFingerPop]

11. Sorry...hard to tell with the current climate. n/t

[undergroundpanther]

4. Agreed

Yeah I like the idea of seeing piggies go splat. I hope I am there to yell Jump,Piggy Jump! And when he hits I'll take what he has and give it to the street people. The last insult,doing what the piggy in life would never ever do,Help poor people.

[stillcool]

15. I was being sarcastic..

Wall Street brokers are not the problem. I think most of the 2%'ers are going to be just fine, if not better than they were yesterday. The only people that will crash and burn are the other 98% of us.

[undergroundpanther]

21. I know

But I still would want the pampered to FEEL the POVERTY themselves.
And I would shed no tears over the ones that jump either.
I don't waste my sympathy on those who have none .

[stillcool]

31. I'm very confused..

The cause of all this is apparent but what the effects will be is not. And the solutions run the gamut and I can never tell what the motives are for the individuals giving their opinions. It's like some people are dealing with the moment, and others are suggesting sweeping changes in the structure, which don't seem to deal with the present at all. Plus there is a complete lack of trust in anything the government or the media says. I kind of feel like I have some kind of battered wife syndrome, where I know that this country is fucked up and the status-quo is destined to go, but I fear what it all means.

[Dorian Gray]

32. I responded

too quickly, saying you were sick. Obviously you are being sarcastic. Sadly, there are people who seem to really feel that way, and that makes me really sad. I'm glad you don't.

[undergroundpanther]

2. Investing? It's GAMBLING

Call it what it is, If you gamble in the stock market you are speculating, buying in your bets and cross your fingers you'll "win and get something for nothing..Just look into the golden greed crystal ball and hope for bulls and fear bears.

[avaistheone1]

5. The first rule of the stock market is not to put in any money you can not afford to lose.

[Fresh_Start]

6. maybe our Congress shouldn't have allowed

companies to replace pensions with 401K plans

most of us are invested because thats the only retirement savings option we have

[Telly Savalas]

9. Pension funds don't exactly have gigantic matresses they put cash under.

[undergroundpanther]

18. Yeah but it wasn't given to wall street gambling addicts either.

Pensions were better by far than 401k's Most people I knew were damn pissed off their pensions got rolled into 401k's, but that wrath is long forgotten now ain't it?

[Telly Savalas]

27. Defined benefit pensions may very well be superior to 401k's

but that doesn't change the fact that pension funds are exposed to the same market risks. The main difference is that when pension funds go completely sour, they're guaranteed by the government, i.e. they're bailed out.

[undergroundpanther]

28. And bailing out pensions

for people that worked for years is fair.
Bailing out gambling addicts with money to burn with tax money to buy worthless debts is a swindle against the people .

[avaistheone1]

19. They can invest in Treasuries and the Money Market

Although not money market funds as those are not insured.

[undergroundpanther]

22. Why invest?

why not just save up and fuck wall street,at least if I save nobody's gambling with it.

[Fresh_Start]

24. the advantage of 401Ks

is twofold

its tax advantaged
it comes off the top and doesn't get pissed away in takehome pay

[undergroundpanther]

25. I don't trust market gambling

I wish pensions existed.

[Fresh_Start]

26. I missed the cutoff to stay in the old pension plan

not old enough so I had no choice

I'm way worse off with 401K then with prior pension plan and that was before 7 1/2 years of Bush

[Telly Savalas]

29. Most 401k's offer the option of similar low-risk vehicles.

[avaistheone1]

10. Probably Congress should not have done so. If that is the only option I would support

a bailout for those who had no other option in their plans but to put their funds in the market.

However, not one that requires employees to invest their retirement funds in their own stock. Those companies should be responsible for any shortfall.

[Fresh_Start]

13. I read it was another bad legislation

they expected 401K to supplement pensions but the legislation didn't say that so of course companies used it as replacement instead

[undergroundpanther]

14. It was terrible they forced 401k's

It was a swindle...packaged as a good thing. Well never trust wall street gamblers and corporate pigs to give back anything to the people that give up the days of their lives to enrich these hogs.

[undergroundpanther]

7. Why then do state lotteries get most their money out of poor people?

Because poor people are desperate to survive they want to lighten the burden even if it is a few bucks because they have very little to hope for..

Rich people gambling stocks are wealthy gambling addicts gambling with other people's life savings and frankly I hate the fact working people were swindled that couldn't afford to gamble,by corporate pigs ,forcing them to gamble by taking away pensions and getting people to accept 401k's .It's not the peoples fault the greedy conned them from afar and cut off other options.

[JVS]

12. zOMG! My 32 shares of Ford! How much did I lose today?

[Fresh_Start]

16. F down 13.3% today nt

nt

[JVS]

17. Oh well. I guess I have to sell the kids for medical experiments

[Fresh_Start]

20. my families liberal, the parents sell body parts

before we farm the kids out for experiments

[JVS]

23. Well, I'm a Roman Catholic, and I've been on since the day I was born...

and the one thing they say about Catholics is, they'll take you the moment you're warm. You don't have to be a six footer, you don't have to have a great brain, you don't have to have any clothes on, you're a Catholic the moment dad came.

Because, every sperm is sacred....

(come on, sing along people)

[That Guy 888]

30. So we should accept the pig in the poke for the small investors?

Why are you people pushing so hard for such a bad plan?

[Two Americas]

33. the evil system

People's savings - let alone their retirement! - should not be in the market, and their survival should not be subject to the whims of the market.

We did fight against privatizing Social Security, did we not? How come?