Overall I agree with your premise. Then I think back to the days when my father was a union steelworker and made enough money for us to buy a house in the suburbs, for him to buy a new car every 3-4 years. There was a real, substantial middle class that encompassed factory workers. Before the "Reagan revolution" ushered in greed as a gospel. He had a pension from the steel plant and didn't have to risk stock market volatility in IRAs. So some things I think are not an improvement. And honestly, I think investing in crypto is a mistake, not that you asked.