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.

Fresh off a record year for profit and revenue, JPMorgan is facing questions over what CFO Jeremy Barnum admitted was excess capital.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Chief Executive Jamie Dimon told analysts on Wednesday he plans to stay in the job "for a few more years." That would mean that Dimon, who will be 69 in March, would stay at the helm of the U.