Come on, don't deflect, and don't project. Email and sim hacks and all that are trivially easy to prevent. Send me $500 and I will explain. I will post the explanation here, too.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/14/brokerage-log-ins-for-sale-on-dark-web-robinhood-sees-highest-prices-.html is inexcusably weak, detail-free, fright reporting.
Like so much of the financial press.
So ... Robinhood alone has pisspoor access and authentication control? That alone is a major story.
Inside job? But that would not meet your scare criteria.
I am going to google to see if I can find out what actually happened w poor old Nate Heard.
The last six CNBC paragraphs are shocking, writer-firable for their slop and laziness. Also preposterous as factual narrative reporting.
And while I expect that you are not a working editor, did you notice that CNBC leads with speaking to 4 people but then can list only 3? yoohoo, editors!?
Again, can you recount for all of us the steps for a bad actor to, out of nowhere and without operator error, access and drain a Vanguard (or ML or Fidelity or Schwab ...) investment account?

I have own this fund Long term... off nearly 20% YTD... 10% of my portfolio.
So here the deal. Buy into this fund a little at a time and monitor its performance. It has under performed for the last 5 years so pay close attention. If its performance reverts to it's 10 and 15 year performance you will be in a good position long term.
On a one year basis, I would suggest PRNHX in a better fund to take advantage of the '22 swoon.
My question for buyers, when have we bottomed?
The financial markets still seem attached at the hip with the Fed so until they stop raising rates we will just attempt at guessing how far prices will revert.

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1124459/000174177322004196/c497.htm
497 1 c497.htm FGT3 P1 121522
FGT3 P1 12/22
SUPPLEMENT DATED DECEMBER 15, 2022
TO THE PROSPECTUS DATED DECEMBER 1, 2022
OF FRANKLIN INTERNATIONAL SMALL CAP FUND
(a series of Franklin Global Trust)
The prospectus is amended as follows:
The following paragraphs are added to the beginning of the “Fund Summaries – Franklin International Small Cap Fund” and “Fund Details – Franklin International Small Cap Fund” sections of the prospectus:
On December 14, 2022, the Board of Trustees of Franklin Global Trust, on behalf of Franklin International Small Cap Fund (the “Fund”), approved a proposal to liquidate and dissolve the Fund. The liquidation is anticipated to occur on or about February 22, 2023 (Liquidation Date); however, the liquidation may occur sooner if at any time before the Liquidation Date there are no shares outstanding in the Fund. The liquidation may also be delayed if unforeseen circumstances arise.
At the close of market on January 17, 2023, the Fund will be closed to new investors, except as noted below. Existing investors who had an open and funded account on January 17, 2023 can continue to invest in the Fund through exchanges and additional purchases after such date. The following categories of investors may continue to open new accounts in the Fund after the close of market on January 17, 2023: (1) clients of discretionary investment allocation programs where such programs had investments in the Fund prior to the close of market on January 17, 2023, and (2) Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans or benefit plans and their participants where the Fund was available to participants prior to the close of market on January 17, 2023. The Fund will not accept any additional purchases after the close of market on or about February 17, 2023. The Fund reserves the right to change this policy at any time.
Shareholders of the Fund on the Liquidation Date will have their accounts liquidated and the proceeds will be delivered to them. For those shareholders with taxable accounts and for Federal, state and local income tax purposes: (a) any liquidation proceeds paid to such shareholder should generally be treated as received by such shareholder in exchange for the shareholder’s shares and the shareholder will therefore generally recognize a taxable gain or loss; (b) in connection with the liquidation, the Fund may declare taxable distributions of its income and/or capital gain; and (c) an exchange out of the Fund prior to the Liquidation Date may be considered a taxable transaction and such shareholders may recognize a gain or loss. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers regarding the effect of the Fund’s liquidation in light of their individual circumstances. Participants in an Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan that is a Fund shareholder should consult with their plan sponsor for further information regarding the impact of the liquidation. In considering new purchases or exchanges, shareholders may want to consult with their financial advisors to consider their investment options.
Please keep this supplement with your Prospectus for future reference.

LewisBraham I think you pointed out the main issue. In Ford's time, the US was still a major manufacturing nation, so raising workers salaries created demand for manufactured products. Hedge fund managers don't produce anything-they just shuffle papers and maximize financial engineering to create profits that only benefit their small group. Todays too many greedy CEOs think they can extract all the profits and then just move to Switzerland, Liechtenstein or Singapore when the US society collapses !

I have not seen anyone post on this forum anything that could be called "far left". Far Left is Stalin. Far Left is Mao.

Nah old Joe. Do respect your comments but disagree. I've read many many left comments on the financial boards here I feel you are calling me out because of my views are not in alignment with a far left political perspective.
Respectfully submitted
Baseball fan

If anyone is really interested here is the most complete list of SBF contributions that I know of. Lots of GOP guys and girls including $ 3,500,000 to Mitch.
Porkers really lined up at the trough
While we all know that "money talks" it is always instructive to see how politicians say one thing and take money from another.
It is unclear what SBF thought he was getting from all this, and what he wanted in terms of Crypto regulations.
https://popular.info/
Judd at Popular information is an incredibly insightful investigative reporter a who has daily emails about where dark money is going, and who is behind various trends in politics etc.
24 politicians and one PAC pledge to donate or return money from FTX execs
1. Representative Josh Harder (D-CA) received $2,900 from Bankman-Fried. A spokesperson for Harder told Popular Information that he plans to donate the funds to the Stockton Food Bank. 
2. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) received $5,800 from Bankman-Fried. Her campaign said she “has already donated the campaign contributions from Mr. Bankman-Fried to Planned Parenthood North Central States.”
3. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) received $5,800 from Bankman-Fried and $2,900 from Salame. Her campaign said that both donations were given to “Storyknife Writers Retreat in Homer, Alaska.” 
4. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) received $5,800 from Bankman-Fried. Sam Runyon, a spokesperson for Manchin, told Popular Information that Manchin donated the money to Mountaineer Food Bank in West Virginia, and that he “hopes this donation can provide some relief to those who need it most.” 
5. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) received $5,800 from Bankman-Fried. His campaign said he has “donated those funds to charity.”
6. Senator-elect Peter Welch (D-VT) received $2,900 from Bankman-Fried. In a statement to Popular Information Welch said, “On November 16th, after serious public allegations against Sam Bankman-Fried, I donated the $2,900 contribution my campaign received from Mr. Bankman-Fried to the Warmth Support Program to help Vermonters keep their homes warm this winter.”
7. Representative-elect Morgan McGarvey (D-KY) received $2,900 from Bankman-Fried. McGarvey’s campaign told Popular Information, “We have donated that amount of money to Family Scholar House, a nonprofit in Louisville that provides a range of services, including financial education for disadvantaged single parents and their children in Louisville.”
8. Representative-elect Valerie Foushee (D-NC) received $2,900 from Bankman-Fried. Foushee told Popular Information in a statement, “The situation with FTX is both distressing and unsettling. When I accepted a $2,900 donation from Mr. Bankman-Fried, I was unaware of his illegitimate business dealings. In light of recent developments, I cannot, in good conscience, retain his donation to my campaign, and have since donated these funds to a nonprofit in Chapel Hill, EMPOWERment Inc., whose mission is to serve the community through their steadfast work to provide affordable housing and foster economic development. I sincerely hope that anyone who may have been wronged in this situation will be made right." 
9. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) received $5,800 from Bankman-Fried. He pledged to donate the amount to “an appropriate cause.” 
10. Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) received $2,900 from Bankman-Fried. Torres donated the amount to “a local charity to assist with holiday food distributions to families in need.” 
11. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) received $5,800 from Bankman-Fried. Jeffries donated the amount to the American Diabetes Association.
12. Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) received $5,800 from Bankman-Fried. A spokesperson for Gottheimer said he is donating the amount to charity. 
13. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) received $5,700 from Bankman-Fried. Booker’s campaign told Popular Information that he “donated the $5,700 contribution from [Bankman-Fried] to a New Jersey-based charity.” 
14. Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH) received $2,900 from Salame. Joyce’s office told Popular Information that he plans to donate the money to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. 
15. The American Patriots PAC, a group “dedicated to electing conservative heroic veterans,” received $150,000 from FTX. The group told Popular Information that the donation has been returned.
16. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) received $20,800 from Bankman-Fried. According to Bloomberg, Stabenow plans to “donate the money to a charity in her state.”
17. Representative-elect Becca Balint (D-VT) received $2,900 from Bankman-Fried. According to the VTDigger, Balint plans to donate the funds to “the Vermont-based Committee on Temporary Shelter.”
18. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) received $2,900 from Bankman-Fried. The Wall Street Journal reported that a representative for Collins said that the funds would be donated to charity. 
19. Beto O’Rourke, the former Democratic candidate for governor of Texas, received $1 million from Bankman-Fried. According to Bloomberg, O’Rourke had already returned the donation to Bankman-Fried before FTX announced its bankruptcy. 
Popular Information previously reported that Representatives Kevin Hern (R-OK), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), and Salud Carbajal (D-CA) donated campaign contributions received from FTX executives. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND), who received $5,800 from Bankman-Fried, also pledged to “give the contribution to whatever reimbursement fund is set up by the bankruptcy court.” Representative David Schweikert (R-AZ) and Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) also told the Daily Beast they would be donating the funds received from FTX executives.
Largest recipients of FTX cash stay quiet
Many candidates and PACs that received donations from FTX executives did not return requests for comment. This includes some of the top recipients of donations, including the House Majority PAC, which received $6 million from Bankman-Fried; Mitch McConnell’s Super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, which received $1 million from FTX and $2.5 million from Salame; the Democratic National Committee, which received $865,000 from Bankman-Fried; the NRCC, which received $184,800 from FTX executives; and the DCCC, which received $156,400 from FTX executives. 
Other major recipients that did not respond to requests for comment include Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) ($20,600), Representative Alex Mooney (R-WV) ($11,600), and Representative Ronny Jackson (R-TX) ($10,000). The campaign for Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) ($5,800) declined to comment on the record. 

[snip]
Hell LastPass recently got hacked, in effect LastPass is the equivalent of an account aggregator but much worse since it has a lot more confidential stuff than just financial accounts.

That's why I'm wary of cloud-based password managers.
I use KeePass (free, open-source) which stores credentials locally on my PC.

If an account aggregator is breached and your account incurs losses as a result,
the broker may not reimburse you for these losses.
Fidelity Customer Protection Guarantee
"Also not covered is any activity by an employer/plan administrator, financial intermediary, or third-party who is authorized by you to access your data (or who received your data as a result of that access), or with whom you've shared or provided access to your username, password, or account number, or from malware or a breach of security that affects the systems of any of those parties."
Link

Using Yodlee via Schwab vs. using Yodlee or equivalent directly does not offer any additional security. Yodlee is a cloud based service, it can be hacked directly without needing to hack Schwab.
Note that the account credentials you are providing (either to Schwab or Yodlee directly) are traversing the internet from your machine to Schwab and from Schwab to the aggregator. Yes it is encrypted and all that good stuff but it can be hacked including from bad apple insiders (this is how Capital One was hacked)
In a cloud based world, hacking is a lot easier than the pre-cloud world because of the distributed nature of all services. In the age of the internet, security and privacy are not realistically possible. Over the last 5-7 years at least 5+ of my accounts with large corporations have been hacked -- Target, Capital One, Home Depot, Experian, etc..
Hell LastPass recently got hacked, in effect LastPass is the equivalent of an account aggregator but much worse since it has a lot more confidential stuff than just financial accounts.

@davidrmoran- Well, Yodlee is just one of the "aggregators", and stayCalm was referring, in a way, to the explanation that I made above. If you are using a downloaded financial app that involves an aggregator, a hacker could presumably go directly to your account information at Yodlee.
Again, I'm just trying to sort through all of this along with everyone else. The lack of transparency on the part of all players in this setup isn't helpful. The suggestion seems to be that if you have asked Schwab (for example) to aggregate your accounts, then that account information is somehow safer than if you regularly interact directly with the aggregator. Again, this is why I started this thread- maybe between all of us we can learn a bit more about the risk/benefit ratio involving aggregators.

I do wonder when someone is worth $32 billion like Griffin what the point is of spending $54 million to fight a state tax to save $80 million? It reminds me of a story John Bogle was fond of recounting:

At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, the late Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, author Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel, Catch-22, over its whole history. Heller responds, “Yes, but I have something he will never have – enough.”

The super-rich fighting taxation of every sort also seems shockingly ignorant of history. Eventually, such gross inequalities can lead to the pitchforks and torches scenarios outside their castles. So, it almost makes financial sense to accept a fair tax rate when you have so much. Pay for the bread and circuses to keep the plebeians like us happy. Moreover, how can the rich stay rich in industry if they don't believe in taxation for things like public education? Where's their educated workforce going to come from?
And if they make stuff, who will be their consumers? From NPR: "In January 1914, Henry Ford started paying his auto workers a remarkable $5 a day. Doubling the average wage helped ensure a stable workforce and likely boosted sales since the workers could now afford to buy the cars they were making." I guess, though, if you run a hedge fund, you don't need to worry about the average consumer buying your product. Maybe therein lies the problem, a complete mental disconnect from how ordinary people live their lives.

OK, so I've been poking around on the net, and it seems as if there are two related but different ways that we can interface with a financial aggregator. The first is by downloading and using a financial app, of which there are evidently a fair number of different types. In this setup we (the user) interact directly with the aggregator.
The second does not involve any direct contact with an aggregator. This situation occurs when we utilize a bank or brokerage which we deal with, and authorize them to initiate and maintain an information exchange with another financial entity- could be a mutual fund, a bank, or another brokerage, for example.
The bank or brokerage which we deal with then utilizes a financial aggregator to perform the data transfers between them and the other institutions that we authorize.
From what I'm seeing, none of this is guaranteed to be impervious to hacking, but the second method- institution-to-institution- is theoretically less susceptible to a hack than interacting with a financial aggregator directly via a user app. This is because a hacker would have to first breach the financial institution, and then follow that by also breaching the aggregator. It's presumed that this would not go unnoticed, and that intercepting security measures would prevent such a deep penetration of two separate financial institutions.
Well, maybe. Anyway, that seems to be the general story so far.

Initiated a position in BTO (John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund), a fund I've been watching for a bit. The financials have come down over the past few months, with BTO settling into rare discount territory. I look to build this up to a full position over the next few months, and today it sports a handy 7.94% distribution.

Notes from Above + Powell's Press Conference
Fed funds rate +50 bps to 4.25-4.50%; (bank) reserve balance rate 4.4%; primary (discount) rate 4.5%. More rate hikes should be expected. Rates will remain higher for longer & rate cuts in 2023 are unlikely (despite the fed fund futures markets projecting so). The QT remains at -$60 billion/mo for Treasuries, -$35 billion/mo for MBS. New economic projections were released.
The jobs market is strong & labor-participation rate is low. Layoffs are restricted to techs now. The labor market may weaken by late-2023.
Housing prices have weakened. But housing contribution to CPI via rents/OERs will continue to go up and may start to go down only in late-2023. Services remain strong. Goods prices have come down. The Russia-Ukraine war has caused higher energy & food prices. Despite trending lower, the inflation remains too high vs +2% average target (it will not be changing). The inflation-expectations remain subdued.
The GDP growth will slow but is expected to remain positive. Soft-landing is still possible, or a shallow recession. Financial conditions & credit markets have tightened. Longer term rates have come down. Stocks have been up. China reopening may not have an immediate net effect.
https://ybbpersonalfinance.proboards.com/thread/158/fomc-statements-6-7-weeks?page=2&scrollTo=867

Nah old Joe. Do respect your comments but disagree. I've read many many left comments on the financial boards here I feel you are calling me out because of my views are not in alignment with a far left political perspective.
Respectfully submitted
Baseball fan

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1413594/000110465922126922/a22-31651_7497.htm
abrdn Funds
(the “Trust”)
abrdn Emerging Markets Debt Fund
(the “Fund”)
Supplement dated December 14, 2022 to the Summary Prospectus, Prospectus and
Statement of Additional Information dated February 28, 2022, as supplemented to date
On December 14, 2022, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Trust approved a Plan of Liquidation for the Fund pursuant to which the Fund will be liquidated (the “Liquidation”) on or about February 16, 2023 (the “Liquidation Date”). Shareholder approval of the Liquidation is not required.
Suspension of Sales. Effective after market close on December 16, 2022, shares of the Fund will no longer be available for purchase by investors with the exception of: (1) existing shareholders (including shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions); (2) employer sponsored retirement plans; or (3) fee-based programs sponsored by financial intermediaries that have selected the Fund prior to market close on December 16, 2022. Any applicable contingent deferred sales charges will be waived on redemptions and exchanges out of the Fund following the close of business on December 16, 2022. Effective after market close on January 31, 2023, the Fund will be closed to all investments except shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends and distributions.
Liquidation of Assets. The Fund will depart from its stated investment objective and policies on or around December 14, 2022 as it liquidates holdings in preparation for the distribution of assets to investors. During this time, the Fund may hold more cash, cash equivalents or other short-term investments than normal, which may prevent the Fund from meeting its stated investment objective. On the Liquidation Date, the Fund will liquidate and distribute pro rata to the shareholders of record as of the close of business on the Liquidation Date such shareholders’ proportionate interest in all of the remaining assets of the Fund in complete cancellation and redemption of all the outstanding shares of the Fund. See “IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR QUALIFIED ACCOUNT HOLDERS” below if you are a qualified account holder. Contingent deferred sales charges will be waived in connection with any redemptions prior to the Liquidation Date. The Fund’s investment adviser, abrdn Inc., will bear all expenses of the Liquidation to the extent such expenses are not part of the Fund’s normal and customary fees and operating expenses; however, the Fund and its shareholders will bear transaction costs and tax consequences associated with turnover of the Fund’s portfolio in anticipation of the Liquidation.
Alternatives. At any time prior to the Liquidation Date, the Fund’s shareholders may redeem all or a portion of their shares or exchange their Fund shares for shares in the corresponding class of another series of the Trust pursuant to procedures set forth in the Trust’s Prospectus. If you wish to exchange your shares of the Fund into another series of the Trust, or would like to request additional copies of the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for the Trust, please call abrdn Funds Shareholder Services at 866-667-9231.
Holders through Financial Intermediaries. If you are invested in the Fund through a financial intermediary, please contact that financial intermediary if you have any questions. If you are invested in a tax qualified account, please see important additional information below.
Income Tax Matters. The liquidation of the Fund, like any redemption of Fund shares, will constitute a sale upon which a gain or loss may be recognized for state and federal income tax purposes, depending on the type of account and the adjusted cost basis of the investor’s shares. Please contact your tax advisor to discuss the tax consequences to you of the Liquidation...

@Baseball_Fan- Speaking personally, I really do not appreciate your continuous introduction of contentious political perspective into otherwise financial matters.
MFO has an Off-Topic section for the type of commentary which you seem to prefer. It would be appreciated if you could make at least a minimal attempt to respect the general guidelines as requested by David Snowball:
"Mostly there are Fund Discussions and Off-Topic Discussions, which range from market calls to book recommendations. If you want to read only the fund-relevant stuff, click on the category called Fund Discussions"
As is common with those who are in agreement with your political perspective, you act as if the rules were made for everyone but yourselves. Your ex-president is certainly a prime example.

I'd like to be carefree about the matter but I've always felt that any of these financial entities could be hacked at any point in time exposing me to complications with an account at a connected entity. No thanks.

In another current MFO thread the issue of safety with respect to financial account aggregation was raised. It seemed to me that this whole topic might deserve a thread of it's own. I'd sure be interested in hearing a range of opinion on this question. For starters, I did find some information regarding this topic, but nothing that specifically went into much detail on the potential security risks.
Here are a couple of excerpts:

From Investopedia
What is Account Aggregation?
How Account Aggregation Works
Account aggregation usually occurs only within a single financial institution. However, certain assets held outside a financial institution may be included if the account holder has agreed to that.
Many personal finance services offer customers the ability to aggregate data from all of their savings, checking, and brokerage accounts, as well as other financial assets across all the institutions with which they do business. These services usually require that users provide account-access information, such as a username and password, for each of the accounts that they wish to include in the aggregation. Using this information, the service "scrapes" or downloads account balances and other data from each account to include in the aggregation.
However, account aggregation software is often allowed only to access balance information and transaction records. And for security reasons, many aggregation services do not permit users to make transactions from within the service.
In addition to aggregating data from savings, checking, brokerage, and other financial accounts, some aggregation services and software—particularly those used by professional financial advisers on behalf of their clients—aggregate additional net-worth data, such as recent home-value estimates. Account aggregation platforms may also categorize cash inflows and outflows.
From "The Balance"
Account aggregation services only give the software permission to view your account balances and transactions, not make transactions. If you actually want to access your money or move it, you would need to sign in to each account's website.
Additionally, the software draws on many advanced security features. For example, if you are logging on from an unknown computer or device, additional authentication will likely be necessary.

I've used account aggregation at Schwab and First Republic Bank for several years now. I did wonder about the potential security risks, but rationalized that if the risks were significant then large banks and brokerages probably wouldn't involve themselves with the service, especially as it's likely there isn't much profit in it. Maybe I'm being too complacent about all of this.

At the risk of gloating, I'll admit the market lessons learned and observations made as a futures trader during the Great Financial Crisis in 2006-08 served me *very* well and thankfully kept me safe during my brief but profitable forray into cryptocurrency.
Things like due diligence, pondering counterparty risk, agility, and critically analyzing company's priorities/actions/visibility during irrationally bullish markets can *really* save your arse before things turn bad/ugly/catastrophic.
edit: SBF denied bail, deemed a flight risk. Extradition hearing set for February.