 In today's world, it can be hard to tell, largely because we are encouraged to see ourselves as barons-to-be. Given the underfunded and shrinking state of many public services, the most obvious path to security for ordinary people is through the marketplace. Security, crudely put, is a function of wealth. The resources to rent or purchase property, to buy food and necessities, to pay for education, to invest for retirement, and all the rest.