Cheating Their Way to Profit

When They Trade on Inside Information, They Are Stealing From You

Guest article by Dina Doll

Republicans told you the stock market was the American dream.

Under Bush, instead of shoring up Social Security, they pushed 401(k)ls. Instead of making college affordable, they gave you 529 plans. Save for retirement in the market. Save for your kids’ education in the market. Invest. The market always goes up. This is how you build a life.

They sold you a seat at the table.

I spent years as an attorney helping Fortune 500 companies comply with their disclosure obligations under federal securities law. I know what that table looks like from the inside. Making sure every investor was playing on a fair and even playing field was not a courtesy. It was the whole job. Complete and accurate information about a publicly traded company, available to everyone at the same time. That is what keeps the market stable. That is what keeps it trustworthy. That is what makes your 401(k) worth something.

Now the people running the game seem to know the cards before they’re dealt.