The stock market is not a business; its a marketing tool to shift capital from one set of pockets to another. It provides liquidity to business owners so they can get cash for their ownership stake. The stock market is not a business to investors, or rather, to the average investor. But then again, are you average? Time and ideas may be valuable currency, but something else needs to be mixed in order to provide an income. So, while investing in the stock market probably wont make you rich, the point is that investing in ourselves is the better choice. If all the stock market represents to an investor is an average of 10% per year, arent there better ways, perhaps with less risk to achieve that? I guess thats why business operators create wealth and investors invest; it represents different lines of thinking.