/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>1626358
The same reason people buy lottery tickets.

>>1626358
>>1626362
the same reason people believe in god

>>1626368
Nah they are totally different, ya wanna know why? In it's most basic form: Pascal's Wager you lose nothing if God isn't real but you believe. In Ponzi schemes you lose all your fucking savings once it falls apart

>inb4 cherry picking example of Evangelicals or trying to account all the "material cost" of believing in god to argue other wise.

>>1626368
>>1626370
Btw. I'm not endorsing religion, only pointing out that Theism has lower risk than lottery tickets. Belief only costs a dollar if I CHOOSE to spend a dollar.

RICH PEOPLE ARE GENIUSES AND WE SHOULD ALWAYS LISTEN TO THEM

>>1626358
the same reason people buy meme cryptocoins

>>1626358
Because of greed clouding their judgement

>Hmmm this business promises I can get rich. I want to impress all my friends and family! Ill try with a little bit.
>WOW 300% returns! I'm going to put more in. How does this business make money? Hmmmm I'm not sure really, but who cares I make money!

>>1626370
>>1626371
>be catholic
>want to get married because god will damn you to hell for all eternity if you fuck your gf
>have to pay thousands to the church to get a priest do it
>same for getting a kid baptized, confirmation, annulments, etc

>be jewish
>want to join a temple so you can go to services on holidays
>have to pay for a membership

those are just the religions I'm intimately familiar with, I'm sure others do the same shit too. If you're going to be a "good member" of the religion and do things the way they want you to then you've got to break out your checkbook.

>>1626579

this. and on the one hand they have the conventional wisdom that "if something is too good to be true...." and on the other hand they are exposed to all these anecdotal stories about people making a fortune on bitcoin etc

i live by the maxim that by the time you've heard something it in a public medium, it's too late, and youre probably hearing the hype from people trying to hand you the bag

>>1626665
>i live by the maxim that by the time you've heard something it in a public medium, it's too late, and youre probably hearing the hype from people trying to hand you the bag

That, and If you're not sure how an investment/business idea/whatever is intended to make money or work... DO NOT INVEST IN IT.

Run the numbers instead of buying hype

>>1626358
Greed, fear & lack of financial education

>>1626834

A lot of these people are well off though. You hear stories of people losing hundreds of thousands and millions. How did they get so much money to begin with if they lack financial education?

>>1626835
Look at professional athletes and the stigma they have around them.
Just because they are famous you hear their horror stories and how bad their financial decisions were.
Just because somebody makes a lot of money for being good at (insert talent here), doesn't make them financially smart.
The people that make the most money are the biggest targets of these ponzi schemes.

It's also altruism. Something dumb people use a lot. Unfortunately capitalism preys on altruism. That's why successful business people tend to be sociopaths

>>1626617
Organized religion is different from theism.
Remember that temples and churches are providing services.

>>1626851
>>1626835
>>1626834
I remember seeing a story on the news about a financial manager who invested in casinos in Alabama just before a state law banned them. All the athletes whose money he invested blamed him even though they should've been aware of the risks.

>>1626358
They make the mistake of believing their initial returns will continue.
So naivete with some greed mixed in.

>>1626358
They want to believe the scam is true. They want it so badly they are willing to ignore warning signs. All they really want is to have trust in something or feel secure in their investments. It's sort of sadly ironic how people who most want trust and security end up dealing with the least trustworthy or secure things.

>>1626967
This guy gets it.
I know guy who used to do these kind of scams and he told exactly what you said. People have a vice, you just have to exploit it and they'll believe everything you say.

>>1626358

The same reason people buy memecoins and penny stocks.

Because they believe it
Look at >>1626716

>>1626358
If you get in early they're pretty good

>>1626358
>IBB
the same reason americans hate blacks

>>1626617
>>have to pay thousands to the church to get a priest do it
>>same for getting a kid baptized, confirmation, annulments, etc
where the fuck do you live thats suppossed to be free??
Also those are importants parts of your life

>>1626358
They think they will get rich quick. The world is full of them. If there is one thing you can advantage of be sure that it is other peoples greed.

>>1626358

Greed and laziness

They belive they can get rich through this special thing and won't have to do much to earn it.

Watched a friend drop 2000 dollars on a mlm exclusive coffee scheme before he gave up without every seeing a single cent getting back to him

On the plus side he has three expensive nespresso machines now, collecting dust, in his basement

>>1627269
He thinks that weddings and baptism and such costing thousands means clergy charge you for that shit. Not realizing that there are like venue hire and clothing costs and so on.

>>1627275
For a lot of people it's desperation too, tho that's less nice to think about.

>>1626617
Except in a truly fair society no one forces you to be catholic, or Jewish, or Javovah's Witness or whatever...

My point was and is ponzi schemes attract people because of the same impulse that makes people buy lottery tickets: the promise of big money.

>>1626617
seriously brah, you cant afford to tip the door man at the synagogue $90? You sure you are Jewish? It's one day a week... for fuck sake.