I'll agree with all posts three pages into this thread. I'm a retail Broker (Independent, thank the Lord! B/D and IAR)
I'm losing some of by best top Clients over this mess that's been created, and it's hurting my family as well. No, I'm not a rich Broker. Why does everyone I meet think that if I'm a Broker, I'm wealthy? Sadly, this in not the case.

:eek:
I've had the bank (I hate banks! GRRRR!) calling about the mortgage being 10 days late more than a few times this year. They always get paid in 10-12 days, but they're like vampires right now. We own a home with 50k in equity, and the vampires know it. So what do they do? Put the heat on people with homes that they can turn a quick/big profit on, and the rest with negative equity don't have to even make a payment, as the bank won't take posession of it for obvious reasons. What a mess.
I'm getting more and more prospective Clients in front of me with $300,000 in inv. assets But, a home they owe $490,000 on, (now worth 20-25% less than original purchase price), re-financed it with the all too famous ARM loan in 2002-2004 (which is now going up, and up...), $55,000 in Credit Card debt with an average 7-18% interest rate (the rates are really varying, so it's hard to pin this down to a certain number), two cars with 72 month loans (one a big SUV, 1 of 3 times thus far. LOL!), etc., OVER-LEVERAGED!!!!!!!! It's sad. I don't get this from my 70 year-old+ Clients. It's the 35-60 year old's who are in the most trouble from what I'm seeing weekly.
I personally think Credit Cards are the next mess on the horizon, and people are in a position now where they can't pay for what they shouldn't have bought. Another "nail" in the financial coffin. Don't think there's going to be any bailouts on these puppies, so I wonder what lies ahead.
The moral of the story: it's going to be one big sh** sandwich up into late 2009, and we all need to be nibbling around the edges, rather than following the herd, biting right into the middle. So, I guess pick what works, and don't deviate, or you'll be eating with the herd.
