There goes civilisation...

speaking of sexy

I refuse to click on that until I know it's safe...
powers up iPhone

Not as sexy as it sounds but twice as dirty.

I can see why you ridin' high in the reps chart with comments like that..

As for city workers, sure there are a few cunts, but most are just doing a job like you and me and a lot of people are now facing ruin - probably half my friends work in the city, and most of them work there so that they can send their kids to goood schools and have a good qulity of life.

tbh i dont understand that whole, im doing it for my family thing, its ike saying fuck everyone else, as long as i have a good house and my kids dont go to school with kids who arnt in exactly the same financial situation as me then i dont care, fuck the enviroment, fuck community fuck other peoples jobs, houses and security. they arnt just doing a job like you or me because them pushing buttons and gambling with other peoples money wont effect them in same way it will effect the rest of us, yet that doesnt seem to sink into them and their actions.

bankers = wankers.

I provide websites that allow our clients to make better decisions on how to invest the money in the pension funds they manage.

How does that impact you, the environment, the community (other than the amount of money we have chucked at polar recently) or anything else?

Fucking communist!

I'm sick of hearing people bashing investment bankers for being greedy, selfish, blah blah blah, whatever.

For the record, I've worked in finance my entire career, but I'm a computer programmer, so while I earn a comfortable living, it's by no means lavish. I'm well aware that I may be out of a job soon. My boyfriend is an equity derivatives trader at a large investment bank. He may be out of a job soon as well. Who knows what the markets will do.

The credit crunch and the current state of the financial industry is the aggregate of a lot of mistakes made by a lot of people. It's the fault of the mortgage lenders who decided to lend stupid amounts of money to people who couldn't afford it. It's the fault of the people who were too dumb to see that the house they were buying was beyond their earning capabilities. It's the fault of the bankers who didn't realize how risky it was to buy those debts, or saw the risk but were too greedy to care.

People are quick to condemn greedy bankers and seem to think they're responsible for the world's financial and social woes at the moment. But how do you know that the boom time we've all been enjoying the past decade or two aren't the result of those bankers as well? If their greed has the power to royally fuck everything up, then it stands to reason that it has the power to make everything all bright and shiny as well.

The fact of the matter is, most people would love to have the amount of money some -- NOT ALL -- bankers do. Most people would love to have a good house, and send their kids to the best schools, have the latest electronic gadgets, drive nice cars, go to nice restaurants, etc.

How can you fault somebody for wanting to make a good living and provide for their families? If a well-paying job is available, and is perfectly legal, and well-respected by some, how can you fault somebody for taking it?

I provide websites that allow our clients to make better decisions on how to invest the money in the pension funds they manage.

How does that impact you, the environment, the community (other than the amount of money we have chucked at polar recently) or anything else?

Fucking communist!

I guess the answer to your question depends on whether the 'best' way to invest your money is oil drilling in Alaska, sweatshop labour, roadbuilding or one of the many other things that "impact you, the environment, the community"

Fucking capatalist.

I'm sick of hearing people bashing investment bankers for being greedy, selfish, blah blah blah, whatever.

For the record, I've worked in finance my entire career, but I'm a computer programmer, so while I earn a comfortable living, it's by no means lavish. I'm well aware that I may be out of a job soon. My boyfriend is an equity derivatives trader at a large investment bank. He may be out of a job soon as well. Who knows what the markets will do.

The credit crunch and the current state of the financial industry is the aggregate of a lot of mistakes made by a lot of people. It's the fault of the mortgage lenders who decided to lend stupid amounts of money to people who couldn't afford it. It's the fault of the people who were too dumb to see that the house they were buying was beyond their earning capabilities. It's the fault of the bankers who didn't realize how risky it was to buy those debts, or saw the risk but were too greedy to care.

People are quick to condemn greedy bankers and seem to think they're responsible for the world's financial and social woes at the moment. But how do you know that the boom time we've all been enjoying the past decade or two aren't the result of those bankers as well? If their greed has the power to royally fuck everything up, then it stands to reason that it has the power to make everything all bright and shiny as well.

The fact of the matter is, most people would love to have the amount of money some -- NOT ALL -- bankers do. Most people would love to have a good house, and send their kids to the best schools, have the latest electronic gadgets, drive nice cars, go to nice restaurants, etc.

How can you fault somebody for wanting to make a good living and provide for their families? If a well-paying job is available, and is perfectly legal, and well-respected by some, how can you fault somebody for taking it?

+Rep
Good point, well made

If their greed has the power to royally fuck everything up, then it stands to reason that it has the power to make everything all bright and shiny as well.

Nope, greed is always going to fuck things up

I'm sick of hearing people bashing investment bankers for being greedy.

I'm not...

I suppose some of it is sour grapes at the vast sums they earn.

It's not their fault, it's lack of regulation. Some people who have previously been involved in making money in tighter regulated industries are wisening up to this:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/article4619166.ece

Sure losing a job is hard, I have lost a few so I know.

The majority of the guys out on the curb this week will be able to find gainful employment in short enough order as I take it they are all bright and urbane go-getters.

That isn't the same thing as losing your job because we can pay someone else to produce the same stuff for a third of the wage with a 80th of the health and safety considerations in a developing country.
Damn the consequences for our society (which conveniently doesn't exist) because the guys doing the outsourcing do not have to factor that into their balance sheets.
Those are the jobs that don't come back, those are the communities ripped asunder.

Dry your eyes finance workers, it will get better soon, these things are cyclical.

...oil drilling in Alaska, sweatshop labour, roadbuilding or one of the many other things that "impact you, the environment, the community"

None of the above.

I hope you don't actually keep any of your money in a bank. That would be a terrible contradiction.

That isn't the same thing as losing your job because we can pay someone else to produce the same stuff for a third of the wage with a 80th of the health and safety considerations in a developing country.

Ah then you aren't talking about the technolgy staff in banking then, as all the banks have been 'off-shoring' for years.

Believe me, if I could get out of having a bank account I would.

When they start offshoring middle management you'll hear the yelps.

The fact of the matter is, most people would love to have the amount of money some -- NOT ALL -- bankers do. Most people would love to have a good house, and send their kids to the best schools, have the latest electronic gadgets, drive nice cars, go to nice restaurants, etc.

Being a banker is not the only way to afford all the things you list.

If a well-paying job is available, and is perfectly legal, and well-respected by some, how can you fault somebody for taking it?

I think banker-bashing is unnecessary, but can't help my natural reaction, which is to not feel too sorry for people who have chosen a career with their eyes wide open.
My company makes financial software, and the downturn will affect us too. We have just had 30% redundancies in the UK, coupled with 100% growth in Asia. It is sad for those people.. families.. affected.
Mrsmith has made some very harsh comments in this thread, but there are nuggets of truth in there too.. :-)
Don't live in debt. Don't be blinkered by promises of a stable career, respectable profession, etc.. Don't be a cunt.

"How can you fault somebody for wanting to make a good living and provide for their families?"

there is a massive difference between wanting to provide for your kin and and a lifestyle fueled by greed and wanton disregard for the financial situations of others.

i could understand their high salaries if they were good at their job but it's obvious that greed masks their ability to look at what the last 300 years of world financial history can teach them.

no sympathy from me, they are reaping what they sowed with rampant speculation (much like the tulip boom of the 1630's)

Believe me, if I could get out of having a bank account I would.

Do you have any bank accounts that earn interest? I'm sure you could find a current account that earns zero interest, and then you can sleep soundly at night, knowing you're not helping to finance the education of those greedy fat-cat bastards' children.

lol Sharia.

The bank still earns interest, its just they don't pass it on to the customer.

I support this sentiment:

I provide websites that allow our clients to make better decisions on how to invest the money in the pension funds they manage.

How does that impact you, the environment, the community (other than the amount of money we have chucked at polar recently) or anything else?

Fucking communist!

why am i a communist because i dislike the idea that due to the nature of the job bankers are only ever going to put money where they will make more money, such as oil, war and other unsavory business ventures such as academy schools (which do destroy communities), they are never going to put money into places where it is needed because there is never any money to be made there.

also, i know they have a long way to go but the co-operative bank is pretty ethical.

one last thing,

fucking capitalist!