Ha HA...selective quoting....you haven't told us about the banking crisis, the collapse of the stockmarket and how these unethicaland immoral peopletook huge bonuses of realmoney from customer's resources, on the basis that ON PAPER they had made an enormous profit.
You quote 2 shares among hundreds,if not thousands.....the vast majority performed far worse....seeabove,alsore-readand see how my "highly profitable,professionally-managed" pension plan and endowment, both profited only the "experts" and the sellers of the business ....Oh,yes, they decide it doesn't fitin with their "core-business" any longer, so deal it on and trouser a load of cash.
You can live in a house...that saves rent whilst you enjoy a capital growth (provided, like your shares, you didn't grossly overpay for the wrong thing inthe wrong place at the wrong time. ) If property was such a poorinvestment, there wouldn't be these financial gurus setting up funds to specifically invest in real-estate (again, they take a big skim of cream off the punter's cash,with absolutely no personal risk )....
Stockmarket is gambling, pure and simple....the only time that shares actually get "cashed-in" and their true value is realised (buggerall) is when a firm goes bust....otherwise, the value assigned is a Notional one and it's the emperor's new clothes....pass the parceland pretend it's value is X....Only, sometimes, the players lie and cheat ...so, the underlying assets are worth 1.5X....Mr Spiv and his cohorts take control of the company, asset-strip it and again, trouser what rightfully belonged to the shareholders but,the small men don't understand any of this,and even if they did, they are not part of "the club" so they have to accept the deal and whatever crumbs they are offered, while the big boys keep the cake.
Perhaps, Mixture, you can tell us how one spots an honest, high integrity, moral and ethical financial advisor... You have already confirmed that those employed by banks are as straight as a corkscrew,
I refuse to believe that all independents are good at their job .
It is a bit late, 10, 20, 30 years down the line, to find that the huge carrot that was laying on the plate, was only a picture....the tiny real one, well,they ate most of that, but ,see the green leaves appearing....theyare the shoots of recovery, leave your money with us and we'll rinse and repeat..