The financial system has tons of problems, but it's a hell of a lot better and more democratic than a world where there is no avenue for the wealthy and the middle-class to share in ventures. You and I and our neighbors can buy stocks in big companies and earn returns to save for retirement; we can (at our discretion) have rich jerks fund our little startup and launch businesses we couldn't otherwise. We can borrow money to buy a house, and enjoy the stability and independence that such a purchase provides for the next couple of decades while we pay it off, instead of saving up while we're renting and enjoying none of that.
But of course no one who's been through an introductory economics course should be surprised that subsidizing the purchasers of a good or service (like education) makes the price rise. :)
What you describe is also my definition of a healthy financial system but IMHO we are increasingly moving away from that description and I think the fact that socio-economic mobility has been decreasing in the US somewhat verifies this.
Just about everyone can "share" in economic growth in the US. That is positive. But the problem is that the financial vehicles accessible to most are increasingly weighted to capture less of the percentage of capital gains.
But of course no one who's been through an introductory economics course should be surprised that subsidizing the purchasers of a good or service (like education) makes the price rise. :)