Quote Originally Posted by Lewkowski View Post
The stock market is not a lottery but there is no convincing you of that is there? No amount of empirical evidence that most long term investors enjoy terrific returns on their investments will convince you will it?
It didn't start out as a lottery, but it's becoming that way. Fundamentals and Technicals? Buy and Hold? It really has become more of a gambling game, high risk and volatility, retail investors ham strung by big movers and shakers (market makers), speculators, hedge funds, funds of funds, math quants, HFT, long tails....derivatives and CDOs, splicing and dicing....deregulations and nobody minding the shop. SEC poorly funded and understaffed, watching porn instead of bad actors. We've been through all this in other threads.

I've been a long term investor for decades, and have "enjoyed terrific returns" at various times. But I'm not stupid enough to give carte blanche trust to the Freee Markets you seem to idolize. They're manipulated markets now. Unfortunately, most everyone's retirement is "invested" somehow. State pension plans, 401-Ks, IRAs, municipal bonds, etc. That's why the Big Bank Bail-out was necessary.....to keep the dominoes from falling and wiping out Main Street. All ur money R belong to us!

No amount of empirical evidence will convince you of that?

I think it's a national shame there isn't a place for super-conservative self-savers to slowly build their own nest egg, by simple compound interest deposit accounts. Paying 5-6% interest on deposits would mean charging more for borrowers, less in fees and cuts for banks and financial firms. We all know ours is a borrowing/lending system that runs on debt. Cheap debt. And it benefits the lenders most. How we doin'?