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How the American middle class has changed in the past five decades | Pew Research Center

If the term "percent" throws anyone off, think of it this way.

In 1971, there were 61 of 100 folks in the middle, 25 folks lower down, and 14 folks higher up.  Time went by, 20 years in fact, and we see:

50 folks in the middle, 29 lower down which would be an increase from 25, and 21 higher up, which would be a larger increase of 7.

Thus, the middle shrunk, but more of them went higher up than went lower down.

I don't know where to start with you. Really.

Everyone requiring perpetual growth, how's that?

OAM delights in faulty hyperbolic over generalizations.  I presume he knows better.  Maybe.

I think the average knowledge of the stock markets and investments in general may be pretty low, and often wrong.  I have some knowedge and experience, but I don't by any means claim to be an expert.

The most expensive stock is BRK-A which pays no dividend, one share costs over $600,000.  There is a reason for that.

There is a reason it doesn't pay a dividend, when it clearly could.  

I think the average knowledge of the stock markets and investments in general may be pretty low, and often wrong.  I have some knowedge and experience, but I don't by any means claim to be an expert.

Yeah, I'm by no means an expert. But this has been a frequent topic of conversation as my son is 16 and he's got some interest in it, and my 11 yo daughter is copying his interest as well. 

At the start the biggest thing was (and maybe still is with the 11 yo) getting them to understand that popular companies aren't always good stocks to own. (Sometimes they are, of course). But just Saturday we were in the car talking about it and my daughter was saying "Starbucks is probably a pretty good stock, they're everywhere". Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but that's not how you determine it. In the past they've brought up Disney, b/c obviously being kids, they're in the age (or used to be for the oldest) that they think it's a good company. But (as we all know given some of their issues as a conglomerate) that doesn't mean it's a good stock to own. There's a lot of risk regarding their future business plans. Tesla is another that my son brought up because he thinks the cars (absent the Cybertruck lol) are cool. But the company is valued as a tech company (high PE ratio), not an automaker (low PE, moderately decent dividend yield), and at some point that's going to be a problem for investors reconciling that IMHO. 

With every stock, you need to assess the state of the business it represents. You have to understand how they make money. You have to understand how you expect to make any return (share price appreciation, dividend, maybe both). And that includes obviously predicting things like growth/contraction, market share growth/contraction, what the other companies in the sector are doing, etc. 

Or you could just assume that everyone expects every stock must have perpetual growth and that capitalism, based on your lack of understanding, is fundamentally flawed as a result. 

When I was younger, I figured all I needed to do was read up on this stock market thing.  And in truth, a couple books were very helpful, but they were not "get rick quick" kinds of things.  I watched "Wall Street Week" almost every Friday on PBS and noted how their "experts" disagreed with each other, drastically.  The host made fun of them.

Then a group at work and I went together to purchase "The Value Line", which was quite expensive.  After two years, hardly anyone but me read it at all.  It was in my office.  I don't know why they were chipping in.  I could get it at the library for free anyway.  VL is, or was, OK I think, and had a lot of information.  But you won't get rich with them either.

One item I got from John Templeton was to pay attention when shopping or doing personal business, which operations out there are doing a good job, or appear to be.  There aren't many of them in my experience.  But think about investing in them, it's a sign, usually, of good management.  I bought Costco for this reason a few years back even though they are trading at a premium.