How does a banker contribute to society?

Answer 1

In theory, a banker is supposed to contribute to society by giving purchasing power to competent businessmen and taking it away from incompetent businessmen. Such purchasing power is effected ultimately by consent of market players. A banker can promote or refuse to underwrite new stock issues and also issue loans to businesses that are likely to pay the loan back. Every loan to a lousy business is money competing against you (as an average person) to buy goods and services that will never be put back into the market. Every loan to a good business should ultimately give the average person a 'dividend' in the form of more/better consumer goods at better prices.

In practice, the banking system is so incompetent they continually weaken the dollar through bailouts until bad loans can be paid and the system becomes technically solvent again.