Good day, First, I want to applaud your efforts to make things safer for investors, both retail and institutional. The US remains one the safest places to put money to work. I would like to comment on this proposed rule. To be clear, as a retail investor, I do not approve of this rule change. Let me explain my rational. I believe markets respond most to the change in inflation and growth. I subscribe to Hedgeye Risk Management to help me track this dynamic. I am not a financial professional, so I do not have the resources to track this information myself.

It is onerous that regulators would inject themselves in this manner. The right to access markets includes the market in it's entirety. Herding investors away from hedging strategies to falsely inflate already bloated indexes is transparent and dangerous. Erecting barriers to investment in order to slow down entry into leveraged securities, via a pre qualification step, has the same result as denying access because the opportunity to protect wealth is sometimes missed.

Taking away the ability to invest in these products is an infringement on free speech and my rights as an individual investor to allocate my investments in the way I see fit.

Let people do whatever they want?

LEAVE THE LEVERAGED and INVERSE AS IS> DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TELL US WHAT OR HOW TO INVEST OUR OWN MONEY. I have been an investor for 50 years. I have seen popular investment venues come and go. As it should be, some of them wither and die based upon the investor's use or avoidance. Investors, as with any skill, need to understand and experience strategies and tactics. The same common sense applies to driving a vehicle, using a lawnmower, a sharp kitchen knife, or a skateboard. AMERICANS DO NOT WANT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY DECIDING WHAT TOOLS TO USE IN A NON-LETHAL ACTIVITY.

Stop doing things that screw the little person. Taking power away from the people is not American.

I am not a broker. (1) It is arrogant to tell me or any other person what investments he can make. I assess my own risk. You know nothing about my risk tolerance. (2) I know my limitations. I understand the basic concepts of leveraged and inverse funds. I let the managers of these funds do their job, just like any other mutual fund or stock. (3) My leveraged and inverse fund are a minor part of my investment strategy to hedge against market downturns.It is the most economical way for my to hedge.. (4) Big government has run-a-muck.

I've been [REDACTED] by so many rules designed to "protect" retail investors in the year I've been investing. The [REDACTED] PDT rule that plainly favors the more wealthy. Now you are putting more rules in that limit smaller investors. Let me guess hedge funds are a ok with your proposed rule. STOP LIMITING SMALL INVESTORS!

I should be able to choose the public investments that are right for you and your family. I shouldn't have to go through any special process like passing a test before you can invest in public securities, like leveraged and inverse funds. I am capable of understanding leveraged and inverse funds and their risks. I do not need these measures imposed on you.

Leave us alone. We can make are own educated decisions without without you [REDACTED] adding yet another layer of [REDACTED] regulation to the mix. [REDACTED]