As the Fool editor in charge of banks and whatnot, I've been stressed these last few days. And you know what that means: It's time to rant!
You may not be an idiot ...
Armchair investors will call anyone who has recommended financials in the last few years an idiot. Meanwhile, they'll praise companies like Goldman Sachs
... Or a genius
Quick non-financial thought: The same thing goes for energy investors who've made a recent killing. Over the last few years, anyone investing in commodity or oil companies like Rio Tinto
Double Mac attack
Only the government would sponsor entities named Fannie Mae
Beware the banks
Even with the discount prices and through-the-roof dividend yields (Bank of America
Don't fear the reaper, fear the fortress
It's hard enough to understand a regular old bank. Investment banks throw on a whole heapin' helpin' of fancy instruments and obfuscation. Good luck valuing them. Take the obfuscation up 10 notches, and you've got hedge funds. Do yourself a favor, and don't even think about investing in a public hedge fund like Blackstone or Fortress.
And ... breathe out
Your turn to vent. Join my purging by adding a comment below.
Further Foolishness: