>>60579374>Retail investing is a new phenomenonIt really isn't. 401k's came about in 1980, and retail brokerage firms like Schwab, Fidelity, and Vanguard have been around even longer. I entered the workforce in 1988 and have never had an employer without a 401k plan.
>keeping their money in a savings accountThe last generation about which that was true was the forgotten generation (children during WW2) - my parents' generation. All the baby boomers I know invested into their 401k's and also had brokerage accounts where they invested further.