Every american has asked themselves this at some point. Some found out by getting lucky, the rest either had investments not work out or maybe even lose money to a scam or crash.
Being a millennial I notice people my age that aren't educated enough about stocks (as I was and most public educated kids aren't as well) tend to fall asleep learning about them or see the risk and run away. Not just millennials but my parents and other baby boomers have this mentality. There's a reason the 1% controls the true wealth in this country and it's not by saving their paychecks.
I just recently got into stocks this past year. Trading, investing has become my main income source as well as one of my hobbies. I didn't learn a damn thing about stocks in school and most won't unless you go to a serious college which a lot of us weren't fortunate enough to afford. But it's like having a succesful business, taking the right steps learning the dos and donts will eventually lead you to the answer if this is for you or not.
Stocks are looked at like gambling and that's because a lot of people don't know how to properly analyze a stock so most look at it like placing a bet. This isn't true and like any business affair if you're ignorant to it you are indeed gambling. If you don't know what you're doing with a business, job , real estate etc. You'll lose everything like a bad investor does on Wall Street. People have learned to embrace entrepeaneurship in America, they should embrace finance as well.
I'm not telling you to be a broker or aim to be rich, but learning banks, finance, etc. and how it works is key to living life the way you see fit. People should always invest in some way, see what works for you. When it comes to banks I've had horror stories like the next guy but as long as you don't put all your money in one account it protects you if things go wrong. But believe me having a smooth, cooperative bank for the active business account is a blessing you just have to take the time to find the right one.
I recently read an article on cnnmoney saying millennials prefer having only cash. That's fine to keep enough on hand but you should always have some money big or small being built up for you. most investments require a healthy debit account. But too many people have learned to avoid banks and look at them as all that's wrong with the world. Whatever your opinion is you have to work with them to move money efficiently, get credit, etc.
When someone asks if stocks are a good investment the data proves they are. All things lose value, but not all recover like stocks do. Real estate can to through the same up and downs as stocks and it's certainly easier to invest or trade compared to flipping homes all year long.
Whatever sparks your interest you owe it to yourself to pursue a secure lifestyle as well as manage and invest your money wisely.