Plus, what to know if you’re trying to beat the market by holding a handful of stocks Raphaelle Peale, "Venus Rising from the Sea: A Deception" (ca. 1822) Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art via Wikimedia Commons Fellow investors, If it’s too good to be true, why do people believe it it’s true?“Because they’re either greedy or stupid.” That’s the most frequent take I hear about anybody who falls for an investment scam—including the victims of Paul Regan, the subject of my most recent article.