In his infamous rant following a loss to the Chicago Bears in 2006, Dennis Green blasts, “They are who we thought they were!”

Well, after the bloodbath in stocks the past few days (capped off by today’s losses of near -6%), we’re ready to say the same about stocks… they are who we thought they were. And who we thought they were is extremely risky.

We are required in the futures industry to tell all potential investors that futures trading involves the risk of substantial losses and is not suitable for everyone. Is it time yet, given the past few weeks, 2008, and the internet bubble burst to require the same on the stock side?  Instead of allowing ads saying investing is so easy a baby can do it? (Have you seen the knockoff E*Trade ad?)

Is it time yet for the regulators to admit that maybe, just possibly, managed futures accounts can be less risky than buy and hold stock investments (the mention of that requires we tell you that managed futures is not suitable for all investors).

The facts are there for all to see. The stock market is not the safe, blue chip investing environment you have been told of by your parents. This is warfare between billion dollar hedge funds and million dollar computers trading in milliseconds and quote stuffing by the tens of thousands where even the most sophisticated investors can get run over in a heartbeat.

If futures trading is not suitable for all investors – the stock market sure as &^% isn’t either. Let’s call a spade a spade and make sure all the mom and pop investors out there being convinced buying stocks requires the ingenuity of a toddler know exactly what is going on.