<p>Most people on here, if they are middle class are upper middle class and don’t have any clue as to how people in the lower half of the middle class spectrum live. Consequently we see lots of stupid comments on issues like this.</p>
<p>There is on consistent definition of the middle class. People change the definition to suit their agendas. In reality, they are comparing their spaghetti with someone else’s spaghetti and that results in a messy sink of analysis.</p>
<p>That’s some interesting cherry picking of your data. Another way to look at it is America’s current poverty rate has only reached this percentage three times since 1966.</p>
<p>I don’t think that many on here MAKING SOME OF THESE COMMENTS have family incomes below the median income of $51,400 or don’t know how difficult it is to live on that income if there are children involved. Dstark, you may have family members in this situation but then again you’re not making the comments that I’m referring to.</p>
<p>Middle class is one thing. Poverty is another. It is an undeniable fact that the #1 way into poverty is to have a child out of wedlock, particularly when you’re young. And it sure doesn’t help when you’re middle class and can’t afford kids, to have another.</p>
<p>There was an article about the option market causing the stock market to move to a price that causes maximum pain to call and put owners at expiration. </p>
<p>I think we can see today that the author of that article was wrong about maximum pain. Long traders are pretty happy. They aren’t suffering maximum pain. Call owners haven’t for awhile.</p>
<p>It only took one expiration to see that the author was full of …</p>
<p>Ah, I should have been more precise and said, “the number one way to get yourself into poverty is to have a child out of wedlock, particularly when you’re young.” Better?</p>
<p>I took the 15% that I had in cash in my 401K and put it into small cap index funds in the last month. It’s tempting to sell and take the profit, but the market just seems unstoppable.</p>
<p>"Razorsharp, you might be younger than me. Do you remember 1982, 1987? Maybe 1995 and 1999? </p>
<p>You can have one way stock markets for awhile… "</p>
<ol>
<li> The PE of the market is reasonable.</li>
<li> The world is awash in liquidity particularly from Japan that needs to find a home someplace.</li>
<li> Many people are underinvested and moving into the market.</li>
<li> Lots of people are waiting for a pullback so it won’t happen for a while.</li>
<li> I think that the market on an inflation adjusted basis is below the highs in 2000 and 2007.</li>
<li> Earnings in general were better than expected when particularly since the bar was lowered.</li>
<li> The price is what it is - don’t overthink it.</li>
</ol>