Bob Kerstein loves his paper stock certificates.
At a time when stock trading is dominated by rapid-fire computers, he relishes paper stocks for their palpability. Wall Street seems cryptic and far away, but certificates are something he can see and hold.
They're a pleasant throwback, a tangible marker of company history, a wisp of inky artwork in a canyon of electronic solemnity. So when Facebook went public this year and decided not to print paper stock certificates, Kerstein was bummed.
"A travesty," he says.
He's used to it. For years, people have been writing the obituary for paper stocks. They're derided as hard to track, easy to lose, and out of date.
