The investors bought a tranche in a synthetic CDO, and the premiums they were receiving looked identical to the revenue streams they had been getting from a normal CDO tranche. What they did not fully realize is that by accepting the premium payments, they were putting themselves out there as insurance sellers and were liable for any losses incurred by the underlying CDO.
Buying a tranche of a CDO (or a synthetic CDO) is not like selling insurance.
Where do you get this stuff?
Investing in a synthetic CDO is like selling insurance. Just because you don't know what a synthetic CDO is does not change that fact.
As a matter of fact, it is your kind of ignorance which was taken advantage of by Wall Street when it sold that toxic shit to investors.
The people who manage your 401k and public employee pension funds think being in close proximity to a lot of money makes them smart. Well, they got taken to the cleaners because of that hubris.