When it comes to the Individual Investor WALL Street has long been a one way Street.

In the 20th Century investing was a side show for many individual investors. In the 21st Century many futures are depending on it.

Wall street is a sales, trading and investment banking Machine. Always was and always will be, that's what they do, nothing wrong with that.

Their advisory role was always incidental to that business, always was always will be, the structure and Culture is just that. Hence the MERRILL LYNCH RULE. These functions need to be separated and specialized. That's what you are seeing now. It's just EVOLUTION of the financial System. Where are you in the food chain.

A WALL STREET 4 MAIN STREET - Move to the Buy Side

The Question you must ask is? Is my money working to make money for me. Do my advisors add to that equation or are they using MY money to make money for them. Step back and think and move to the BUY side of the STREET.

THE WISDOM OF MAIN STREET:

"Investing has a lot to do with common sense and personal observations. The man on the street frequently knows far more about the economy than politicians, university professors and financial analysts who seldom travel, or if they do, only from one first class hotel to another first class hotel and from one golf course to another. The pulse and vibrancy of an economy is, however, nowhere more visible than in a country's entertainment venues, such as bars, resturants, nightclubs and shopping centres."
Dr. Marc Farber, http://www.gloomboomdoom.com/