because they are about to sink and it's time to cash them out and take the profits to buy into the almost bottomed out financial markets. Glad I shorted Freddy and Fannie... made a killing. Amazing that someone like me without a lot of money, a BS in Biology and a computer can do some research and make some decent decisions in the market. I am also amazed that the rest of the country can;t/won't put the effort in to do the same. Stop whining about the current state and ask yourself what did you do in the past 8-12 years to prepare yourself and your family for those downtimes.  Instead did you buy that ATV or a jetski on credit? Did you sign the paperwork on your new house and NOT READ the fine print?  Did you not invest in your company 401K or an IRA and create your 6 month emergency fund? American has turned into a society of whiners... an entitlement culture. If you are a in a job or have skills that have been moving offshore (or you have a skill in an unstable job market) it's time to start re-educating yourself instead of waiting to get laid off and send in your iReport woe is me story. Learn to help yourself. just because your previous 3 generations of family were a certian skill set doesn't mean it will work for you in the future. If your town is small without much opportunity MOVE. I am giving up listening to people tell me how bad their life is when they had the opportunity to create the safety net but didn't......................