A lot of us are intimidated by the financial world. They seem to have their own language and code- I didn't understand a word of what people around said during my first internship in the industry, and naturally thought it was because everyone around me was so much smarter.
The more I read and time I spend though, it seems like things are needlessly complicated, and can be explained much more simply.
I think this world has been intentionally complicated by those in it for three fundamental reasons:
1) They need people to hire them- if people figured out how easy it was to read basic financial statements, and didn't hire advisors, they'd be out of a job
2) They don't want competition- if they demystify the markets and everyone invests themselves, they'll be much less well paid; they need to maintain an air of secrecy/confidence
3) They want to make money- they make money from money. A whole field called financial engineering deals with designing complex financial products that are basically 'notional'- contracts to help the finance sector benefit from the markets.
And honestly, who can blame them? Don't lawyers (almost every profession for that matter) do the same thing?
There's nothing wrong with this, as long as you don't get fooled into thinking that you can't handle your own money.
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