trust n. 1. Assured resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship, or other sound principle, of another person; confidence; reliance [4].

Nowadays, it's easy to understand why trust is in such short supply. Companies such as Enron and WorldCom have become household synonyms for deception and greed.

The "dot-bomb" era resulted in venerable brokerages such as Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and Credit Suisse First Boston collectively paying fines of nearly US $1.5 billion for misleading investors.