Comment by jart
10 days ago
The stock market is open to all. Everyone has the opportunity to participate. It does not discriminate. All you need is $184k to make the same average income off the S&P 500 for life as you would collect on government disability. A frugal median income individual could save that in ten years. If someone is not capable of pulling that off, then maybe they should be on disability. You don't even need investments to live without employment. If you are likable and people want to be around you, then they will let you sleep on their couches. It isn't difficult to follow your dreams.
Given that ~40% of Americans would be hard put to cover a $400 emergency expense[1], I think you'll find that the set of people who have the opportunity to amass $184,000 in savings is already a pretty rarified group.
[1]: https://fortune.com/2023/05/23/inflation-economy-consumer-fi...
Which is because they put more value in spending their money than becoming a NEET.
They absolutely have the opportunity to change if they want to change.
If you ignore all externalities, sure. Having to take on student debt, having medical expenses, having children early... there are a myriad of reasons why one may become trapped by the economic system
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