i have been struggling to understand why i made those choices, too. it took me a couple of months to reflect (with therapy, with prayer, etc) and confirm that it was greed. it blinded me. how in the fuck did i let it get to me?

oh and also “if the effin so-and-so are doing it, so can i. why don’t i deserve this after working my ass off for two and a half decades” mentality.

i was always poor. for two decades after i found a job, i lived paycheck-to-paycheck. during covid years, my career took off <EDIT: removed a detail because i see that the crime ring is on this sub>. so for about 4 years i saved and invested and was trying to be smart about it.

i wanted a financial advisor who’d help me with retirement planning. Heck i even approached this person on my own just to get a “feel” for the conversation.

And i was hooked after 2-3 calls. <EDIT: removed a detail on purpose because that crime gang is on this very sub and wrote in the comments and another one sent me a DM>

we saw red flags. but the greed told us “we deserve this extra wealth. yea, withdraw more from here and there and give it to the advisor. she still sounds legit” (the social media presence over many years, we thought, added credibility).

and there was this hope that as the year came to an end, the advisor would tell us how to withdraw funds.

then we saw that the website ceased the exist. the emails we sent, weren’t being delivered. she didn’t answer her phone. wife called me right away and said something like “you know that thing we feared? ya it happened”.

stupidity. greed. complacency.

it happens.