March 10, 2020
The proposed rule is completely out of line with the basic ideals of a free trade economy. Just like deciding to trade options, it is on investors to do their own due diligence and understand the tools they are invested in or face negative consequences.
Having burdensome requirements proposed by the government will effectively take these tools away from small, individual investors like myself as brokerages may stop offering them altogether.
As if the system isn't unfairly balanced against small investors already? Now this proposal will take away our ability to use these tools to protect ourselves during downturns (as we just had the last 2 weeks in Feb. and Mar.) and also generate our own investment returns without being beholden to the mediocre returns offered by mutual funds and ETFs.
At the most, require an investor to sign a statement of understanding with their brokerage before beginning to trade these funds, but don't bog us down with required paperwork and other useless hoops to jump through.
Please leave investors alone to make our own decisions. If investors enlist the help of an Advisor or Financial Planner, the regulations should limit their use of these tools without their customers' permission. Otherwise, let the free market be free and stop trying to throttle investors from being successful.