Earlier quoted context omitted.
Awesome! So I can get a 7% return and all I have to do is trust random strangers with ALL of my money.
Which is..exactly the same when compared to a bank, a brokerage account, or index fund.
If your broker lends out your stock to short sellers, it will always return your shares, even if the short seller gets margin called and doesn’t have the money to pay back their broker.
I’m not sure what you mean by “index fund”, but securities/stocks are protected by SIPC insurance, up to $500,000 per account. You will get your stocks back if a brokerage fails.