June 27, 2012
As a newly retired person, I am counting on my 401K investment to keep me going for the next 20-30 years. Market stability is essential to the well-being of a huge portion of our senior community. I need to have a safe and honest market, because I have no time to recover from yet another market disaster. 1987, 2000 and 2007-8 have meant that my overall rate of growth has been below what it should have been. Meanwhile, I see people who have through their own irresponsible behavior and lack of SEC oversight, reap huge profits by selling worthless or shady "investments" to people who could not possibly know their dangers. Over and over, errors have been made by the SEC, by Congress, and by the ratings agencies to rig the system in favor of the financial industry and against ordinary investors who are trying to do the right thing by planning for retirement.
Now, it appears that the Congress is hiding again behind the guise of "job creation" and "freedom" to allow companies, after their IPO's, to hide their financial health. Will their symbols be marked with an asterisk so we all know that these stocks are ultra-risky? Or will they be allowed to be traded, as we've seen with FB, by players with inside information about the company health who are allowed to sell to unsuspecting small investors?
The SEC must act to protect the market and thereby, the futures of seniors and the rest of society that counts on us to take care of ourselves.