When regular Americans play the investment game with the markets on Wall Street, we know we’re at some level of risk. The stock market is a zero sum game, meaning someone has to lose for others to win.

Even when we make what seem to be relatively safe investments, the crashes of 2001 and 2008 taught us that we’re not bulletproof. You can also say that 2008 taught Wall Street’s banks and brokers a lesson — they’re “too big to fail,” so they’ll get immediate government assistance. Now they’re even bigger.

By that logic, the little guy is “too small … Read the rest

When it came to saving and investing, I used to be a door mat. I enrolled in a 401k because I was told to. I selected certain investments because I was told they were good. I saved money with a bank because that’s what others did.

I basically let banks, Wall Street and the money system walk all over me like a door mat. It left me defeated, poorer and feeling out of control.

Then I lost 38 percent of my 401k in 2008. After being brought low in the depths of humility, I decided to rise from the ashes … Read the rest