I don't have a pension, or a 401k if that is what you are implying. I do have social security deducted from my paycheck. Is that money getting invested into the stock market on my behalf?
Sorry I'm not in the elite income class, I'm not directly familiar with the nuances of all these financial companies, or what they do. I understand risk. I understand lending money to pursue a risky venture. I understand time-value of money. I don't understand higher-order financial engineering except as presented in pop culture references such as wolf of wallstreet which I initially referenced, or the big short. I understand many machinations of society aren't directly visible as a "product" to the "average joe" of society but their ultimate benefit to society can usually be explained in a way I can understand, such as insurance, loans, industrial manufacturing, and such. These financial companies, as well as lobbyists, seem to just be skilled at manipulating a system and converting it into money.
Probably by your value system I am irrational, I don't chase money as an ends unto itself. I'm trying to understand Jane Street.
I don't do stock market trading, but even those who do that I know of, are doing so via companies such as: Robin Hood, E-Trade, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Vanguard...
Are these "market makers" working behind the scenes to facilitate the operation of those retail facing companies? Is Black Rock buying all the real estate also good for (potential) retail investors like me? Because it's starting to feel like we're being told to cheer for those faciliting the ever-increasing wealth disparity of society.
At my job? I take food ingredients and perform some manual manipulation to arrange them into enjoyable edible form (although the natural gas powered grill and the electric element powered heating elements, via cooking oil perform the bulk of the "work" in terms of watt-hours), and contribute to the maintenence of the facility and equipment that allows that to happen. Per shift (along with 1-4 coworkers) I think I am involved in preparaing late breakfast or lunch for approximately 150-200 people, saving them perhaps dozens of minutes from preparing the equivalent meal themselves. (don't worry, I dont think you owe me too much respect).