Why don't more poor people invest in the stock market?

Success

Because your IQ is too low, poor thing.

Donut Tim

Poor people have poor ways.

Erik

You need extra money to do that, and most poor people don't have it.

Jay

After they pay the same price for food that rich people do, there is no money left for car payments...let alone investing in the stock market.

Anonymous

to invest you need money and it is rather hard to do with it takes all you can just to pay things like rent and food.

Anonymous

Fear

Steve

I think usually they first hear of sad tales of people losing their money. Not the positive of gaining money. Ehh, they have a reasonable excuse there. They got spooked too easily. It certainly is not for those that are too skeptical to learn about it. I guess this game is not for the faint of heart.

RICK

Duh, probably because they don't have enough money to get started?

Clara

The stock market is a gamble. You are not guaranteed to earn the money that you placed into a stock back. For most people with low income, it is too risky and not worth the risk.

Anonymous

No money to do so maybe

Raymond L.

They don't have money to invest

babyboomer1001

Because they don't have the money - obviously.

LizB

Because they don't have money to lose, genius. Wealthier people can withstand inevitable dips in the stock market, but if you're poor (or even middle class) and an economic downturn wipes you out, you might never recover. That's what happened with the college money my parents worked so hard to save. They were heavily invested in tech all through the 90s and early 00s, then the tech bubble burst and the stocks went from being worth thousands to only a few hundred dollars that basically covered just my text books. Both my parents and I had to take out loans so I could finish school, and I was in school 2 years longer because I had to have a job to pay my basic living expenses and avoid even more debt.

The Whoflew Bird

Too risky. Mutual funds are a safer bet. It's fine to take risks when younger, but after a while you kinda wanna hold onto what you got and not lose everything to a few tosses of the dice in the stock market.

Anonymous

They prefer to waste their money on cigarettes and lottery tickets.