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I get that he was trying to show how "uncorrupted" he is and such, but it just shows that he has no brains when it comes to managing his personal finances. Anyone with a 401(k) has an investment in the stock market, in some form. I certainly don't want to trust him with the budget. He is likely to do even worse than Bush has done.

So Biden must be among the 3% or 4% of Americans who don't buy stock. That will probably reflect his polling percentages. What is he suggesting, that we all dump our stock holdings and let him manage our money? Even if there were a way to keep pace with inflation not buying stock, would it be a wise decision? Biden has always come across as a holier-than-thou grandstander, not the upright man of humble origins that he seems to see himself as. Buying stock has become a middle class activity and one that is near as you can get to democracy in financial markets. Wake up senator!

Joe – you must have have NO understanding of the difference between STOCKS (ownership) and BONDS (debtor):

If you ever want to have a voice in how a company is doing business – you become a stock-holder. People who own bonds do not get voting rights and are simply a debtor of the company.

But I guess when you live your life in Washington you forget these things since you feel you can control companies from your seat in Congress.

Next time, Joe, take Finance 101 before running for the Presidency.

I don't own stocks and yet here I am, after 30 yesrs of serving America, a multi-millionaire. Hmmmm......

Steve..you don't own stock, but you would gladly exchange financial portfolios's with him?

I don't own stock either but I will gladly exchange financial portfolios with him, just tell me when!

I got into stock market in 1992 for I had very little money in the bank and I was getting too close to retirement with what I had,
Thank the lord for Bill Clinton and his policies of that changed the previous 12 years of the fat cats running the country and making the dollar worth less every day by the BORROW AND SPEND and leave the debts to our children.
I did ten times better than I thought I would and more than doubled what money I had while Clinton was president.
Then the dam broke when the idiot we have was declared president by Rhenquist and company.
Before I had sense enough to get out, I had lost a third of what we had. I got out or all but those 3 or 4 stocks that did not tank and put my money in CD's. I started looking for the highes paying CD's regardless of what bank they were in within 20 miles of where we live and still do that.
When a CD's comes due I look for the highest interest rate for the longest period of time. If you look for the highest interest rate, you can bet the banks already know it is going ot fall it is for a short time limit.
They raise interest rates for the short terms when they know or are pretty sure rate will fall in the future. They will raise the long term rates if they think the interest rates will begin to rise and the rates go higher.
I play the best rates for the longest period of time in 95 percent of the cases.
I will go the other way if a band really gives a high rate for at least a couple of years.
There are no management fees, brokerage fees, or selling fees. So if you can get 5 percent or better and not have to pay any of those fees, you would need to get about 7 percent to match your CD's.

A lot of great points already made. I happen to admire and like Joe Biden. But, the heart of the issue is finacial literacy, credit, and American Greed. At 27 years old and a Grad student, I still manage to contribute (small) to my IRA and my ING savings account. Is this hard? No. Do I come from a rich family? More like middle-class with parents with only high school education. I also ran up my credit card debt in college despite sound advice from my parents. My point: Anyone can learn to be financially literate; there are books by Bach and Orman that are easy and entertaining to read. The Problem: How do you reach Americans to read them rather than watching American Idol or the mishaps of Britney and Paris?

Of course he doesn't own stock, why does he need to? Congress has their own lucrative retirement plan. Meanwhile we're stuck with social securtiy that, guess what?, they're exempt from paying into. How hypocritical, they're exempt from paying into the same system that they won't let us opt out of. No wonder their approval rating is 22%.

"'Very smart thing for a guy to promise,' Biden said with disdain." (my italics) In other words, he knows it was a mistake. While it is important to keep a promise, you should try to honorably get out of a mistaken one. For instance, if this really was an important campaign promise, he could send out an email or say in a press conference, "I made a mistake when I said I will never own stocks. I have since learned that is important for Americans to save for retirement and their family's future, and to educate themselves financially. I will soon begin investing in an index fund that will allow me to own a wide range of stocks in order avoid the conflicts of interest that troubled Nixon." By specifically and actively trying to avoid the conflict of interest, he would still be true to the intention of the promise. Half intelligent constituents, if they even notice, would realize the integrity and intelligence behind the announcement. If they disagreed, they could vote against him in the next election. But true, his opponent would hammer this in the campaign if there wasn't much dirt on him. I might look at Biden again – unlike Clinton, he can at least admit when he's made a mistake. I don't want to have to choose between a Republican Hawk and a Democratic Hawk next year.

So he doesn't own any stock. I know a lot of people who don't own stock. As a senator he's guaranteed a good salary for the rest of his life. His family has been well provided for. Why does he need to own stocks unless his goal is to become very wealthy?

So he focuses on something besides making money. What's the problem? If Mahatma Gandhi had stated that he didn't own a single share of stock, should he have been prevented from leading his people in India's independence movement? Would that make you consider him dumb? Since when do we equate intelligence with having a desire to be a millionaire? Perhaps it's not Joe Biden who is lacking.

How sad that we now measure a person's worth by the size of their bank account. Go ahead and put your faith in the political rich kids like Bush and Kerry. I'd gladly trade them all in for a good old fashioned working stiff like Joe Biden. And despite not being a millionaire, I'd take his intellectual prowess and leadership skills over any of his political rivals. I find his attitude absolutely refreshing.

What a decent honest man Biden is keeping a promise and standing by it knowing it would cost him money. He is also the only candidate who has a son going off to fight this war, while the Republican candidates talk tough about the war but none of there sons or daughters are in harms way. Biden has what we need in a President and he has my vote

So he should have reneged on his campaign promise not to own stock? Then y'all would be screaming about his integrity!
Someone who is honest about their weaknesses gets criticized for not being a PhD. in every subject, yet people support the candidate who never ran a business and REFUSES to release her papers from her time in the White House and that is A-Okay!
Biden knows himself. He also knows many excellently qualified people with integrity.
A wise man admits he doesn't know all the answers and seeks out those that do. A stupid man will do what he wants based on invented "facts" and to heck with that pesky constitution!
Candidates with Integrity or more of the same lies we have now?
I thought a simple choice like this would be a no-brainer for every American. Judging by who the front-runners are, it appears Americans have no brains.

So far this election has been a junior high school popularity contest.

When I look for the next president I don't want a corrupt individual. Biden is one of the poorest men in the Senate because he has morals and doesn't take money from companies that would ask him to change his vote.

Lets wake up and take a look at who we really want running our country because right now all I see is a bunch of hypocrites.

blogger Tom Quinn –

I disagree with your characterization that the administration does not change its direction. In Iraq it has installed a new plan , and I daresay it's working spectacularly.

wow, kind of makes me feel good to be worth waaay more than Sen. Biden.

but, on to my comment – Joe, it's not our fault you're stupid with money

Joe Biden is Batman.

Spread the word.

The greedy speak because money is everything. They also vote and get what they deserve: Dick Cheney and George Bush.

So here is another politician 'good to his word' – but no about to change in the face of reality. My parents didn't have stocks either, but now in my 60's, I would be a fool to have not to participate in the markets. What I don't like here is the inability to change. Reminds me so much of the current adminisitration...

Interesting...

We ask for politicians who are NOT corrupt–people who are not paid for (unlike Hillary and Obama) and people who keep their promises and don't compromise their principles (unlike Giuliani and Romney).

We ask for honesty and intelligence, and vote for the opposite qualities when given the choice.

Congratulations, Hillary and Obama supporters. You really demonstrate hypocrisy and stupidity in your decision making.

What would Jesus do?

Colleen, that's a gigantic claim without a warrant behind it. Bush didn't ruin the American economy, Americans are ruining the American economy by trying to live grossly above their means. They are ruining the economy by taking out loans they can't pay back. They are ruining the economy by spending more time and effort on who got booted from Dancing With The Stars than gaining even the most basic sense in financial literacy, like Joe Biden. It's not hard, there's tons of books on investing, credit, and everything at your public library. You shouldn't make an assertion you can't back up.

Joe,

Your mentality is the REASON Social Security is going broke. You're ignorance around sound investment strategies has lead you to say "I'll never own a stock"... yet you expect America to vote for you as President?

When you're called upon to name a Fed Reserve Chairman – that has a major impact on the Stock Market based on interest rate adjustments... will you have a clue what to do??

Certainly it is your right to swear off stocks.... to your own financial failure. We, voters, must choose a Presidential candidate which understands how to move this country forward. Chosing you would be a failure to our country.

Thanks, Joe. One more reason for people not to vote for you. If you don't understand or are scared of solid financial decisions and investing in our country's economy, then how in the world are you going to manage the most gigantic budget in all the world – the executive branch of the U.S. government? This guy is a joke.

Not own stock? Is the man a complete idiot?

When more and more common everyday Americans own stock, they become more self reliant, and here's the key point, less likely to need a government teat upon which to suckle.

Political convictions are one thing. Taking a vow of poverty due to those convictions is naive. Wanting (and forcing via taxes) others to do the same is criminal.

Taking a vow to not own stock (ie not take care of his family financially) is simply irresponsible. But, such is the case with idealistic Sixties left-over Marxists.

STOP LYING!!!! One of the poorest men in Congress?? I guess that means he has about 15 million and not 50 million compared to the other rich fat cats on the hill.

As a Democrat I would not vote for Joe Biden, but he does have a very good point there about investing being outside his comfort zone. The way the Bush adminisration has ruined our economy in the last seven years investing your money in the stock market is very risky. I would prefer CD's, you certainly wouldn't make as much, but you would not lose any either.

I don't think Biden's excuse about stock is true. They were not smart enough to invest that time or not interested in being rich. Middle Class doesn't mean proud class, everybody should invest and save the money legally, it helps their family, our society and Government. I have never thought being rich in my life, but I admire those people who had ideas to invest their money legally and have a comfortable life.
I don't regret my life, but honestly, the truth is that I was dumb about finance. I don't respect excuses.

Joe,Joe, Joe. We need you buddy but sadly you don't have the chance of a snowball in Hades. Thoughful analysis in todays society is not nearly as important as a good line of hatespeak. Ask Rush and Hannity, They have amassed a fortune with demogougery.

that's your own problem. Who cares anyway

and ya wonder why the left is looking for more entitlement programs – perhaps many promised "I will never provide for my own family when the government and those "rich" can do it for me" – amazing group...(and proud too)

Biden (lawyer himself) needs a financial advisor, while Romney needs a legal counsel. One is a blind man, and the other can be his walking stick. Each has publicly mentioned not comfortable out of his comfort zone.

During the first CNN debate, Biden said his net worth was between $70,000-$150,000. For a man of 65 yrs old, and having been working as a senator for many years, that amount of personal net worth is not much. A personal home value can easily exceed that amount, even if he shares his home with his wife.

If elected, don't trust Biden on making good judgement on american finances, and don't trust Romney's judgement on legislative issues.

That's why I like Joe Biden. True and faithful to his word, is obviously more important than excuses.