1.   And investors could be forgiven for having thought as much.

2.   But investors can be forgiven for expecting something different from Kemper-Dreman.

3.   Investors can be forgiven for shying away from speculative young technology companies.

4.   Investors may be forgiven if they are underwhelmed by such an achievement.

5.   Investors can be forgiven for wanting to believe that rate cuts from Greenspan automatically translate to stock market gains.

6.   Investors can be forgiven for embracing the Internet, because it is, indeed, changing the way things work.

7.   Investors can be forgiven for having never heard of National Presto Industries.

8.   Investors may be forgiven for being underwhelmed.

9.   Japanese investors might be forgiven for getting a little overexcited about Softbank.

10.   So investors can be forgiven for a certain amount of inertia, even if dissatisfied with their brokers.