There are a lot of snide, cynical and sarcastic comments and shots from the hip that do nothing but feed into themselves. I understand financial frustration but would suggest that if you're not sure what's going on and are feeling grumpy about it, you either take a humble, inquisitive approach to finding the information you want, or you sell up and move on. You, I and everyone else are here in the hope of making a profit off other people's endeavours, so there's very little moral highground. If you've never neglected to return a phonecall or reply to an email, then by all means get uppity, sell your shares and move on. If you think you're being shafted and could do better, take up a directorship in a fledgling MM enterprise and show them how it's done.
Assuming that, as a small time retail investor, you have the right to demand answers is like telling the PM that you're technically his boss and that he has to listen to you personally. You don't have to wait 3 years for a change and it's not an all-or-nothing bet. You can pull out at any time and walk away with most of your capital if things don't go the way you'd hoped, so it ain't such a bad deal even when it's not good - way better than politics or the greyhounds.
Comments on this forum can either inform and instill confidence, or sow seeds of doubt in others' investing. The more informed ones can be helpful and make for more confident investment decisions, whether that means staying in or getting out, while others can sap confidence out of either decision. Holding onto or selling uncertainty is crappy either way, and the answers you get to beligerent questioning will never fill you with confidence - you'll never know if you're getting the real oil or just being placated. Going in with respectful, informed curiosity will elicit a better response and you can at least be more confident that you're getting an earnest reply and not being fobbed off. When BM or whoever else hangs up or hits SEND, do they feel like they've helped inform the market or do they just think, "I hope that shuts that cnut up and gets them off my case!"? Your approach shapes the response you get and the level of engagement.
People have put time and effort into reading and sharing information over the last 12 months and are going to be more willing to share it if you meet them halfway with specific, educated questions and not just "Give me a quick rundown and what's a Panex anyway?", so if you need something explained, read as much as you reasonably can beforehand and ask an interesting question.
And, sorry to be blunt, but comparing holdings is a bit like a p1ssing circle. Sure, size counts but it's what you do with it that matters and you don't have to please anyone but yourself, so best keep it to yourself and let everyone just assume it's really big.
GLTAH. If you're serious about making money, be prepared to lose a bit on the lessons you'll need to learn along the way.
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