I find this situation staggering, and it is a very, very...

I find this situation staggering, and it is a very, very poignant reminder that 'dabbling' in the stock market is not for everyone.
I understand that online brokers have minimum buy orders of $500. So the minimum purchase in this case is 500 000 shares, meaning an ongoing liability of 1 million dollars over the next 18 months.

Is it then fair to claim ignorance of the ongoing debt? and if so is that ignorance a reason to be let off?
I think in this age of easy access to technology we need to remember that succesful investing is still a profession.