I listed myself as a little bit better off. We were bearish on the retail market and as a result have done some grave dancing. We would have been a hell of a lot better off, however, if the economy had been unshackled. It's better when all parties can be better off; in this environment, however, it seems as if there's a lot of zero sum transactions.
It isn't surprising to me. Most of the people that post and reply on this board are well educated, established professionals. They aren't the ones that have been hurt, and have probably done pretty well as the stock market has more than doubled since early 2009, and many have been able to refinance their homes. It really isn't a random sample of Americans. The ones that have been hurt are the under educated, less employable workers like union members, truck drivers and box carriers. Also, how many people would still say they are "better off" when you add their portion of the extra debt we've accumulated over the last 4 years? What about when the bond market bubble and stock market bubble collapses and their 401ks take a big hit? I think there are a lot of people that think they are "better off" because they don't even realize how this economy is artificially propped up with duct tape and chewing gum.
Not many people are still stupid enough to have the bulk of their wealth hanging out there in the stock market. Most educated folks have re-invested in safer venues by now.
