One of the most nefarious schemes of corporations, stock buyback programs, is likely to see a major increase in announcements over the next three weeks. These programs, unlike dividends, which reward the actual owners of the company with return on their invested capital, are really just part of a systemic plan of stealing wealth from the shareowners. In order to obfuscate the fact that stock option grants to the top corporate officers creates a large increase in the number of shares outstanding which would dilute earnings per share, companies buy back shares to limit the dilution of existing stock holders. However, they are using the companies cash and or borrowing to do so to enrich the CEO, CFO and a few other top executives while picking the pockets of all the actual owners. Executives should be paid in salary and bonus, as they are, and let them invest their own earned money into the stock like any other owner, instead of giving them free shares at all the other owners expense. The reason for the expected increase in buybacks is simple. Congress recently passed a 1% tax on buybacks starting in 2023. I believe that programs announced and begun before January 1, will avoid or at least minimize that penalty. With the economy and corporate earnings headed down next year, companies are likely to rush to do buybacks now while they still can before their earnings and cash flow will limit their ability to do so.