Higher stock prices help Americans regain wealth

Too bad the rest of us don't even own stocks...it being a luxury far beyond the reach of minimum wage earners...or even median wage earners. Or any one that eats and drives a car in the same week.

The only time I dabbled in the market, I was burned big time. Once burned, twice shy

My paternal grandparents never invested anything in stocks during their entire lives. They were both easily old enough to remember the crash of 1929.

They did well enough on two salaries, working most of their years in a state mental hospital.

My main retirement accounts got HAMMERED. The recent run-up in stocks has put me about back where I was in the middle of 2007. I stayed the course, didn't panic and sell low.

and Wall street takes home all the profits.

retirement benefit (pensions, 401-Ks, mutual fund savings plans, etc.) likely does own stocks, albeit not directly. This is why so many retirees found themselves suddenly impoverished in 2008-2009. It is in all our interests to see value return to the stock market, so long as that value is actually based on good economic indicators and not mere speculation intended only to benefit the one percent.

The tragedy for US workers is that so many are working at minimum wage jobs without ANY benefits at all, thanks to success in union-busting and the passage of "right-to-work" laws in many states that were specifically designed to have people literally work for peanuts. This MUST change.

What I love is that the market has been increasing in value especially since the end of the Dem convention. Yes, I realize that there are lots of other reasons for that increase and timing could be considered coincidental.

But if the re-election of President Obama is such a "bad" thing economically, isn't it interesting that economic indicators have been looking more optimistic since he has begun consistently trending upwards in the polls?

As Bill Clinton says so well: "Arithmetic."

How many people with incomes under $250K a year hold significant stocks. For most people's wealth below that level is in their home's equity.

We have enough money to finance an "early retirement" before collecting Social Security. We are going to travel, garden, and work on habitat protection.

I got here by studying all day and spending all night in the university computer center.

Perhaps I stated that inelegantly. (By the way, congrats and well done, sincerely), not many people in the under $200K income level have that significant amount of stock.

yup, all those people who lost their jobs and their homes are getting RICH in the stock market!

Anyone in the back? Anyone? Anyone?

I don't own stocks directly, but through the mutual funds some of my retirement money is in.

the market can just as easily fall if someone sneezes.

Has recovered to where it was at the end of 2007, with maybe a little more. Without the Great Recession, it would have been quite a bit larger, but maybe I'll be able to retire at 66 anyway in 4 years.

than it was before the crash. And I'm smack in the middle of middle class.

I make about 3% a month day trading a very modest stock portfolio. Rising markets aren't necessary for me to make money, but they accelerate the rate at which I do so.

ANYBODY who can come up with even a few hundred dollars can make money in stocks, even assuming they don't get a free trades new account bonus, which is almost always available.

The cheapest trading place I've found charges $2.50 per trade - buy and sell. So $5 a flip.

There are good, profitable companies everyday that blip down 3% or more based on some rumor, some unexpected news like a CEO resignation or a lost contract.

Do some research available free online. Invest say $500. Wait until it comes back up not the whole 3% it lost (or more - but this is a very conservative example) but just 2%. $10 profit -$5 fee is $5 - 1%. More than a savings account pays you for a whole year. I've been doing this for a couple years in both down and up markets (I use bigger investments, usually $5k and often sell at 1% up to keep churning, but same principle). Even in down markets it usually takes no more than a couple of weeks. Often same day in good markets. Often far more than 3% drop and every now and again I wait for more than 2% up (such as when Deere dropped 6% in a day after slightly underperforming expectations - I waited to grab 4%) but I NEVER try to wait for all the loss to recoup, NEVER buy an unprofitable company on speculation and NEVER buy anything at or very close to 52wk high. It's that simple.

Can it possibly fail? Of course. But with hundreds of such trades under my belt it never ever has for me - not once. I hold six stocks now. Three are up but not enough to sell, three are down - none held more than a few days. I'll even declare what the down ones are so you can check back to see how long it takes me to regain.

KLAC at 48.79
NFX at 33.45
NSC at 66.48

So unless people are unable to scrape together $500 (which is all too common as we all know but certainly not the majority of working people) or unable to follow basic principles that require no advanced financial acumen, the stock market can be profitable for all.

I do similar things and I have never had a losing year including 2008. You just have to watch stocks and not be married to them. Dump them when they have met your objectives and move on. Don't be greedy.

If that's "helping," I guess I was helped.

Which I found surprising myself. Apparently its a mix of direct investments, 401k's, pension fund investments, etc. I don't own any stocks myself, but I know plenty of people who were panicked in 2008 when the market was tanking. Few people get more than one chance to save up for retirement, and a lot of that is in stock.

seems like food and gas are worth more also.

Gas prices dropped drastically fall 2008.

Gas prices have gone up recently, in part from speculation in the markets by Koch brothers. For various reasons, gas prices are predicted to ease slightly before November.

Food prices mostly reflect weather. Meat prices will drop in the short term, then be higher in six months as herd sizes are reduced.

But they do make it harder for the next generation to house themselves.

so the banks can charge exorbitant rates to consumers while the banks also commit numerous crimes such as real estate fraud, derivatives fraud, securities fraud, muni-bond auction fraud, worldwide libor rate-fixing and insider trading.

Th minimum wage is the same as it was in 1973, jobs have been outsourced by the millions, there is little to no job security in the U.S. and the FED thinks that buying worthless real estate bonds from criminals banks will stimulate spending and confidence?

LMFAO! 70% of Americans retire with $30,000 or less so just whom exactly profits from some propped up stock market gains and FED bond purchases? The banks do, the people don't.

There are no fundamentals to support these asset prices and PE ratios. It is speculation, and like any game of chance, you gotta cash in your chips if you want to call it wealth. ...and home prices are nowhere near back -- millions still underwater except for a few areas

I took some accumulated dividend money that was just losing value to inflation, and used it to buy a specific health care industry company stock. It's in a self-directed IRA.

There are always opportunities out there.

I am 33 with a self-funded 401(k) that is valued at about 10K with *NO* employer provided health insurance.

Yeah, we're doing just fine!

This rally doesn't mean shit to me but the price of groceries and gasoline does as does the value of my home. Regain wealth my ass.

A scam that attracts many to distort the reality of the housing market.