Valerie Scruggs started trading stock options after being laid off from her job as an IT manager two years ago.

Scruggs, who lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, says at first it was a way to make ends meet. But then she started thinking about it for a primary income.

“It seemed like a good way to make money no matter which way the market went,” Scruggs says.

Financial Shorts Are Returning
More investors like Scruggs are fed up with losing money in the markets and are starting to take control over their own finances. And with many portfolios down 50 percent over the past year, they feel they can’t do any worse than their broker or financial adviser.

“There’s a broader trend of people feeling disenfranchised with the way the financial-services industry works,” says Kurt Oeler, a spokesman for optionMonster, a web site for investors to trade options. “They think: ‘I’ve got to be more active in managing my finances.’ ”

For some, that means do-it-yourself investing. While not exactly day traders—those who seek short-term gains with rapid trading in stocks—these investors feel confident enough to manage their own portfolios.

Read the story here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/29913183

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