Why would anyone invest in stocks while Intrade provides so much free money?

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I just bought some Citigroup stock for $18 .. here's to hoping it jumps back to $50 in the long term.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

That might work out for you Duke if Citi isn't forced into a shot gun marriage by the FDIC first. These banks are very sick.

I know, and I realize that it is a huge risk. I figure that at some point, these banks will come back around. Wacovia would've been a good buy when it got down to $7

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I've been with Scottrade for a while now. They always provide good service and I've never had a problem. I can't comment on Ameritrade.

The last time I had a gut instinct was when Apple first introduced the iPod. Apple was trading at $7 a share and I tried to get my grandfather to buy some but he was too gunshy because of the Internet bubble bursting. I eventually got in at $85, but we really missed the boat there.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

They might be. I'm kind of wary about them because they expanded so fast and now they are shutting down stores. Last time I bought a stock with an up and coming stock, it was Crocs. I watched it run up to $74 a share, missed their earnings EPS by $0.01 a share, and it sits at $4 today. One of the worst investments I've ever made.