After last week's unprecedented events in the financial markets, the U.S. government stepped in over the weekend to offer forth a $700 billion bailout package as a means of shoring up our financial markets.

While the notion of government intervention may not raise an eyebrow now -- not after JPMorgan Chase's (NYSE:JPM) dance with Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM), Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE), AIG (NYSE:AIG), Lehman Brothers, and now Washington Mutual (NYSE:WM) -- $700 billion is a figure so large as to seem unbelievable. But superinvestors Warren Buffett and Bill Gross endorse the idea. So does the current president. So do both presidential candidates.

But what does it all mean? To help make sense of it all, and to help assess the impact on us Main Street investors, we present you with analysis, insight, and even a call to action from Motley Fool writers and analysts:

A call to action!

What this means for your portfolio:

$700 billion, but is it a bailout?

Can Buffett resuscitate Wall Street?

Prelude to a collapse:

Neither Brian Richards nor Anand Chokkavelu owns shares of any company mentioned. JPMorgan is a Motley Fool Income Investor selection. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.