Middle Class Ownership of Big Business: Is it...

The New Frontier of Politics?

The middle class did not set out to buy stakes in big corporations for the sake of ownership. Instead, it put money into mutual funds and pension funds, to save for retirement and rainy days.

Becoming owners of the world's biggest corporations was a side effect, an unexpected consequence, of that saving.

Consider how much of these prominent corporations belongs to institutional investors (primarily pension funds and mutual funds, both of which are nearly synonymous with middle class):

McDonald's: 62.7%

JPMorgan Chase & Co.: 73.4%

Harley Davidson: 83.8%

Even Correction Corporation of America, the company that manages what we used to call prisons or penetentiaries belongs in this camp: more than 91% of its shares are owned by institutional investors.

And for those who appreciate irony: more than 78% of Tiffany & Co. belongs to institutional investors.

At the People, Profits, & Pensions website, we explore the ownership of big business by the middle class. We ask not only 'How much?" but also 'What difference does it make?' 

Why does it matter?

Because knowing about and understanding this great historical shift will lead to better retirement incomes for all of us, and stronger economies thanks to better public policies.

It's commonly said, and believed, that big corporations are at war with the middle class.

But, as you'll discover here, quite the opposite is true: Big corporations have become retirement income machines for hundreds of millions of middle class people.

Mutual funds and pension funds have democratized business ownership -- and profits -- as never before.

Next:

Learn more about this relatively unknown political, economic, and social transformation. Click here: Introduction: The Ownership Revolution to read an excerpt from the mini-book, Big Macs & Our Pensions: Who Gets McDonald's Profits? 

or....

Click here: Who Owns What? or on the link in the right panel to see dozens of examples of pension funds and mutual funds that have large stakes in prominent companies.