This is not a vent board or any other kind of therapy. Before you hit the POST button, ask yourself if your contribution will add to the level of discussion going on.

Important notes on articles:

• Please do not copy entire articles into your post; rather, provide links to them.. We are now links-only for ALL Internet publications. If only a small portion of the article pertains to your post, Fair Use allows you to copy those one or two paragraphs, provided you cite the author's name and the publication for which he writes. Otherwise, put a link in the HTTP Link box.
• Even if you're copying a reference to an article, provide a link to the page from which the article came. We're trying to cut down on duplicate topics, and the posting process will check the link to your article to see if it's already being discussed on this board. At the very least, you'll save yourself some grief on the boards.
• If your first reaction after reading the article you're going to share is the author is uninformed / stupid / a jerk / all of the above, it's not worth sharing with anyone. Not every article needs to be discussed. The more the hair-pulling articles are discussed (e.g. ESPN Page 2), the more the authors will write hair-pulling articles.

Post being replied to

Agreed by ravenium

I complain a lot about my market-bro-culture friends, but I think it's probably because they skew to salivating over individual stocks, speculation, etc, vs a sound strategy.

And that's what gets the eyeballs - people see get-rick-quick-buy-this-one thing vs "boring invest in a mix of index funds and some risky ones that will let you retire and not eat canned soup".

I have no doubt it's perfectly possible for the person with the time and research, but I suspect these tools get their profits from the former, not the latter. Also, not everyone has the time or appetite (which is why a lot of end up picking the "retire 2050" in our 401k vs individual selection).

I'll also confess that if you give enough of your financial blood to an investment person, you do get access to slight advantages. Not Warren Buffett levels, but more favorable conditions.