And we vote on vibes.

There are also healthy ways to encourage economic growth, but those are too boring for the current moment.

And by "certain", you mean "not certain". The core tenet are index funds, and while for the average person, they're probably better than stock-picking, you're absolutely exposing yourself to market risk.

I stopped buying stocks a few years ago. The moment there is a contraction of credit or circulating currency we will see a 1929 style crash. Not worth the risk anymore.

Stock prices are tied to anticipated future earnings, not past or present financials.

> only people with disposable income can afford

Anyone can invest in stocks with $100 or less. As for disposable income, anyone that can buy beer, drugs, or lottery tickets has disposable income that can be invested in stocks.

> part of the funnel that increases the wealth of the rich at the expense of the poor and middle class

Corporations make money by creating wealth, not "funneling" it from other people.

Because it's pretty common for educational materials to start with the first-order approximation, then go into the places where you need second-order corrections to it.

If you think the first-order approximation is false because there are exceptions, and you aren't even willing to read a few paragraphs down to find out about the exceptions and nuances, then hey, it's your loss.