Dear groanup,
I caught your post as I was wrapping up other work. Forgive me if I don't respond anymore today.
"You say investing in stocks is the only smart choice."
No, I never said that at all. Here's one instance of what I actually said:
"Most folks with that kind of money invest in various types of equities, some bonds, some other types of debt instruments, and real estate. Investment in equities will yield a total return, on average, of around 10% annually, for the long-haul."
I'll add to that comment so you can better understand my views: How an investor allocates his assets will depend on his individual circumstances. For some folks, a portfolio heavier on bonds will be appropriate, for others, it won't be. I even conceded that for an 85 year old fellow on death's door, perhaps even all tax-free bonds might be appropriate.
However, for most folks, including most wealthy folks, equities are, and will remain an important part of the asset allocation picture.
"Not enough information. Does he need to make another 25 million for some reason?"
No.
"Yet you imply that you sailed through the recent bear market with ease."
Nah, it was a tough road. But I certainly didn't lose anything approaching what the Dow lost, or the S&P 500, or especially what the NASDAQ lost.
Then again, I really didn't get into the whole "dotcom" thing. So, I didn't have stocks that seemingly grew to the trees prior to the bear market, either.
And interestingly, although I'm not currently invested for income, the amount of income I received in dividends rose during that period.
sitetest
Well done. That would mean you probably were heavily into value stocks and fairly heavily weighted in bonds and real estate. So your portfolio was moderately risky. Fine. What's wrong with little or no risk? Nothing. In fact there is nothing wrong with a lot of risk. The ony problem I have is someone taking unnecessary risk. I trade futures and I don't take unnecessary risks.