I should have known better, Steve. Even though I have always chosen "safe" investments, I got burned badly in 1987 in my first investment effort - I had a modest inheritance, and decided to invest it, I borrowed against it to buy my first car. When the crash occurred, the value of the investment dropped nearly 50%, and the modest loan ate up most of the remainder when the loan was called. It wasn't my choice - which was probably illegal - but the reality is that I ended up with less than 10% of the original value of the investment, and a fully-paid off used car. At least that left me somewhere to live if things got really dire. wink

A well reasoned argument is like a diamond: impervious to corruption and crystal clear - and infinitely rarer.

Here, as elsewhere, people are outraged at what feels like a rigged game -- an economy that won't respond, a democracy that won't listen, and a financial sector that holds all the cards. - Robert Reich