Even digging for roots takes capital, unless you have nails of iron. Can you imagine the carpenter without his hammer or the manager without his mental capital? That said, the discussion was on the ease with which a person can enter the labor market and use the excess capital earned there to invest in the stock market as a way to participate in a business. Felons and others have trouble getting that kind of job. Most of the American workforce is hand to mouth.
By choice, I would suggest. The oilfield is a perfect example. Anyone who knows the biz knows that it is a vicious boom/bust industry. Always has been, and likely always will be. But when times are flush, you can make a lot of money in a hurry, even as semi-skilled labor.
But what happens in the real world? A 20 yr old kid with only a high school education begins making $30 to $50 an hour, and the first thing he does is go out and buy a $40K+ Ford F250 diesel pickup, all tricked out. All the while, the old-timers and his mamma and daddy telling him to "put some money up" for when times get lean.
Doesn't do a lick of good. Nine out of ten will do exactly the same thing, and one of ten will be thrifty. And when the bottom falls out, the grasshoppers will be S.O.L.
The only way to learn the hard economic lesson of "pay yourself first," also called "investing for the long term" is to experience hunger for a while.
Actually, most people own stocks:
-but most adults are not employed: Number of employees: 118,402,000 ÷ Civilian Noninstitutional Population over 16: 249,027,000 = 47% vs. 52% for stocks. More:
How many Americans have 401(k)s? In 2012, about 52 million American workers were active 401(k) participants, and there were about 515,000 401(k) plans.
(from here) There are nearly 15 million IRA accounts held by more than 11 million people with total assets of just over $1 trillion.