Sheer size doesn't guarantee future growth, though. Indeed, the bigger the organization gets, the more difficult it can be to find new ways to tack on even more size. For any company to be the basis for a life-changing investment, it must be able to firmly outpace the mere rising tide of inflation and population growth.

First-quarter earnings season kicks off with results from Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, and UnitedHealth Group.

Wall Street expects JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM to report quarterly earnings at $4.04 per share on revenue of $41.56 billion before the opening bell, according to data from Benzinga Pro. JPMorgan shares fell 0.1% to $247.22 in after-hours trading.