Are you careful as to your stock transactions? Do you consciously think about insider trading everytime you buy or sell your own employers stock?
For example, I hear non-public information every week, maybe every day, that would effect the stock price. So it would be unethical, and maybe even illegal, to buy or sell the company stock based on this. But it seems like everyone who works for any public company would be in the same situation. From the accountants and forecasters, to the executives and even the secretaries because they know what the bigwigs are up to. It would be impossible to prove that I wasn't acting on insider information if I ever made a purchase.
The chances of the SEC investigating me are probably about 1 in a 50 million but still. Ok less than that because this is all hypothetical and I dont even own any company stock.
I guess maybe I should ask Kenneth Lay, Bernie Ebbers, and Marta Stewart?
FWIW I think most ppl should avoid owning large sums of thier company's stock but that is another discussion...