Shareholders only work when they both: Know what it is they own. Care about the long-term health of the company. The 401k could probably be blamed for the majo

Shareholders only work when they both: Know what it is they own. Care about the long-term health of the company. The 401k could probably be blamed for the majority of the issues in the US. You have a chunk of your money removed from every paycheck, it goes to a magical place, and you make money that you will not see again until retirement. That's how it works for 99% of the public based on my experiences talking with friends/colleagues etc. The "magical place" is a blowhard whose sole goal is to maximize HIS profit, which means short-term gains that he can charge exorbitant fees for. The average American doesn't seem to know/care/want to know/care about where that money is going, as long as they see a positive return every quarter. And that's just bad for everyone.