I am sure that there are enough people out there who feel that the unmitigated greed as displayed by the collaspe of the investment banks is well deserved. I, for one, am not really schadenfreude about it. I am not going to laugh at their misery – for ultimately, their misery comes back to bite me and my family.

I recall over the last twenty years, I was approached by many of my investment banking friends to sell me options that sounded very, very good to be true. Guaranteed high returns (in high tones), but with equally high risk (in low tones). Thankfully, because I did not quite agree with the way the risks were computed (and also because I did not fully understand how this actually works), I declined. While I would like to feel schadenfreude about it, I will restrain myself. Cash, ultimately, is king. I am thankful for my family’s and my health and that is far more valuable than making that quick buck!