Over the long run, Wall Street has proven time and again that it's a superior wealth creator. Though gold, oil, housing, and Treasury bonds, have helped investors increase their nominal wealth over time, no asset class has generated a more robust annualized return over the past century than stocks.

For more than a century, the iconic Dow Jones industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) has served as the most-watched barometer of Wall Street's "health." This index, which contained 12 predominantly industrial stocks when it debuted in May 1896, is now home to 30 time-tested, multinational businesses.

Image source: Getty Images.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com