Michael Silbert

Word play has always interested me and misuse of language has always fascinated me.  I’m still curious how nuclear physicists (like Jimmy Carter) can mispronounce the word nuclear or so many politicians can mispronounce the word “infrastructure.”  Maybe they all just struggled with how to say February and Wednesday early on in their lives and gave up.  That doesn’t make any sense but I’m going with it anyway.  Notice I didn’t type in “anyways.”  Common usage?  Intellectual laziness?  I’m not sure but I am curious.  I’m also not sure that I have any of these malapropisms but I will vow now in front of all to notice going forward.  Let’s just say that when I am in doubt, I tend to “Google.”

Cut and dry (very appropriate for a hairdresser request!) for Cut and dried

Chomp at the bit for Champ at the bit

Flounder (Hint: it’s a fish) for Founder

Wendsday and Febuary – Wednesday and February  (Really?)

Relator – Realtor

Sherbert – Sherbet

Artic – Arctic (That’s cold!)

Close – Clothes

Mano a mano to mean Man on man or Man to man.  Uh, NO.  (In Spanish it actually means hand to hand.)

Prostrate for Prostate (Google it if you need to)

What are your favorites?

Don’t kid yourself.  The game is rigged.  The house is everyone other than investors, like you and me.  It’s all designed with the goal of getting you to risk your money for the possibility of a reward for taking that risk.  Sound familiar?  Sound like gambling? While the casinos of the world entice you with promises of glitz and excitement, the brokerage houses of the world entice you with the appearance of equal access and stability.  First, access will never be equal.  Period.  Someone will always be in there ahead of you to make the first buck; It’s their job.  We, the actual investors, will get the scraps and leftovers and may accidentally make money.  And may not.  Second, stability is only an illusion.  The financial services market makes money off of volatility.  They make money when you buy and when you sell.  The money that they make is NEVER dependent on you making money.  So they must walk a fine line, between keeping you trading and keeping you from getting so discouraged that you walk away from the game.  That’s where skills in sales and marketing come in handy.  There is a whole industry involved in supporting it’s own image as a great place for you to keep your money.  Lot’s of people make a living off of people wanting to be a part of it all.  Brokers, Bankers, Lawyers, Politicians, the Media, and more.  And it’s all in the message, the languaging.  Have you ever watched a news report about activity in the market and the reporter talks about what investors are doing on the day?  This use of the term “investors” is a criminal torturing of the language:  The activity being referenced couldn’t be further from investing.  They are not talking about you or me.  What they are really talking about is blatant speculation.  And blatant speculation is what drives the markets.  The real activity of the markets is gambling.

If you want to be in the equities (stocks) market and you want to limit your exposure to the gambling that are the worlds markets, there’s only one place to go.

Index funds.  They aren’t sexy and they aren’t even “safe” but compared to the market, their low cost and more consistent performance (at least in the past over the long run) makes them far and away the more reasonable choice for most investors.

Just know that the game is rigged.  You are playing against the house and the house always wins, ultimately.  Always.  Otherwise it wouldn’t be there.  Go in with your eyes open knowing that you are gambling and may get burned, just like when you walk into a casino.  If that’s your idea of fun, more power to you.  Just know that it’s not such a solid financial decision.  But then again, neither is eating in a restaurant.  Sometimes fun and pleasure, and in this case thrill and possible reward, need to be honored too. Just don’t use the rent money.