[OT] Brokerage for the D Language Foundation

[Laeeth Isharc via Digitalmars-d]

On Monday, 19 September 2016 at 02:39:33 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
> On 9/18/2016 5:20 PM, Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
>> Thanks. Well this kinda boils down to a tautology. I remember 
>> my wife asked me
>> once "what kind of insurance could protect us against 
>> anything"? There isn't one
>> (which is kinda terrifying first time you realize it). In the 
>> US, as an aside, I
>> don't think there is even a medical insurance that could 
>> protect you from
>> financial ruin in all cases.
>>
>> There is no easy option, and there is no risk-free option - so 
>> obviously we
>> aren't looking for such.
>
>
> My fatalistic view is if the market tanks that badly, it'll 
> bring down everything else with it.

What I mean is that if you have a margin account and never use 
margin,  I believe - unless things have changed - that you expose 
yourself to custody risk that you wouldn't have without a margin 
account.  If you're going to have a margin account,  you might 
even make sure you have an unlevered account as well,  since this 
custody risk is reward free.

And as regards equities,  a fifty percent retracement in equities 
would be unexceptional given the move since 2009,and your asset 
allocation should be prepared for that possibility. Being levered 
might not be consistent with that.   That kind of move certainly 
wouldn't mean it brings down everything with it, just that it's a 
hairy period of the kind that happens from time to time.  It's 
entirely possible to have such a move with a surprisingly strong 
economy because stronger wage growth and higher rates might be 
difficult for some sectors and that's not what people expect  
now,  and not what is priced in.

I emailed Andrei directly on lending club.

In investing,  think about risk first,  and consequences over 
probability.   Taleb is mostly right on this. The distribution of 
returns isn't Gaussian.