... a real stinker of a product that at first glimpse appears to be the answer to your prayers, but really is just one more way Wall Street is going to separate you from your money. The product is the structured note and it advertises its ability to benefit from good stock market performance while simultaneously providing protection against the bad market performance. The cost for this protection is covered by modifying the benefit. It sounds good, but unfortunately, the cost of the protection usually outweighs and undermines any benefit.