In the summer of 2007 you appeared on TV screaming that Ben Bernanke had no idea how bad things were on Wall Street. After what has happened, weren’t you too calm?
—Gonzalo Soto Campero, Mexico City
A lot of people criticized me for being off the deep end when I shouted from the rooftops that things were falling apart. Then a lot of people criticized me for not shouting it from the rooftops. For the most part, I’ve been trashed for everything I’ve done.
Do you regret going on The Daily Show in the first place
—John Puterbaugh, Dekalb, Ill.
No one wants to suffer a beat-down. No one wants to be humiliated or embarrassed. I was shocked at [host Jon Stewart’s] behavior. I wish he knew about my background, and I wish he knew about a lot of things that I had done, because I think he would’ve thanked me instead of attacked me.
You seemed to take Stewart’s criticism personally, but he was really making a larger point about the failures of CNBC and other financial outlets. Do you think CNBC did a good job anticipating and reporting on the financial meltdown
—Mark Sutter, Detroit
I think CNBC’s done a remarkable job, and I think the attack on CNBC and the attacks on me were gravely misplaced. It was rather remarkable in that it was so clear that his goal was to just destroy me. One day he’ll answer for it.
Do you believe we will look back on the financial innovations of the last several decades with regret
—Francis Murray, Washington
They almost brought our country down. The only guy who really called this right was Karl Marx. Marx understood what would happen if you let the market run amok. Of course, it was done by right-wing Republicans. They brought our nation to its knees, and we’re not going to end up being a great power because of what happened.
Money is being spent before it can be printed. At what point will we run into crippling inflation
—Nick Augustine, Poplar Grove, Ill.
That’s exactly what they were worried about in 1929 to 1931. Hoover was very worried about tremendous inflation, so he did his best to avoid that, and we had the greatest depression in history. So perhaps we learn from history and worry about inflation after we worry about taking a Great Depression off the table.
Do you think that young people have been scared out of the stock market forever
—Brianna Morrissey, Columbus, Ohio
Yeah, I think so. It became a mug’s game. Unless we bring back the regulations that we had pre-Bush, unless we prosecute the bad actors, I think they should be scared.
Is it safe to start reinvesting a small portion back in stocks again, or are we better off investing in real estate
—Justine Sherburne, Rhode Island
I think that real estate is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because there are no competitive buyers. Mortgage rates are the lowest in my life. Affordability is the best in my life. Clearly, real estate is much better than stocks right now.
Is this a good time to start an online business
—Deborah Lee, Las Vegas
It is a great time if you have some capital to establish yourself, but if you don’t, you could run out, and then you gotta go back to looking for a paycheck.
Who’s Jim Cramer’s Jim Cramer What person do you turn to for financial advice
—Edward Kaufholz, Winter park, Fla.
There’s a bunch of guys I really respect. I respect my friend Doug Kass, who had called the market’s absolute bottom, 630 on the S&P. That was just an unbelievable, home-run call. I also still go back and look at what Peter Lynch wrote.
Are you as loud in real life as you are on your show
—Matt Robinson, Nashville
That’s a great question. I don’t know which is me anymore. When I’m on the street and you stop me, no, I’m not “Boo‑yah!”
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