From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

The Great Recession and the erosion of trust.

Hello again, I'm Aronaldi, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International,

the daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

News coverage of AIG bonuses,

Bernie Madoff, CNBC's, Jim Kramer, and Treasury Secretaries with ties to Wall Street has been relentless.

Public confidence in banks, insurance companies, money managers, and financial reporters has sunk to an all-time low.

Searching for safe, reliable investments not dependent on government,

Americans bought 600 tons of gold last year,

a 42% increase over the year before.

The rest are stuck with a troubling question.

Who can you trust with the money you have left

as the financial bloodbath continues?

We'll hear some answers.

On reporter's notebook later, President

Obama's special envoy for Dorf 4. First, the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation, the John

D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation,

and the Scholl Foundation, supporting social entrepreneurs around the world, uncommon heroes dedicated

to the common good. Learn more at scole.org. Hello again, Warren Alney, back with To the Point.

With the onslaught of the Great Recession, public confidence has all but evaporated in money managers, investment advisors, and financial institutions, both public and private.

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