In case you missed it, some plucky trader at a "major Wall Street firm" mistyped a trade last Thursday -- "accidentally" selling billions instead of millions of shares -- and caused the entire NYSE to drop nearly 1,000 points in mere minutes. Just in case you needed any reminder of how fragile our entire economic system really is, take a note on how one individual, with a nasty case of acid reflux, could flush your retirement savings down the tubes in less time than it takes you to scratch your privates.
What happened to the trader, you may ask? The way I see it, he's either purchasing a major Caribbean Island right about now, paying cash, picking out the best looking piano crate he can find in Manhattan, or choosing a decorator for his new corner office at Goldman Sachs.