Tag: savings

Conversations about the vast White-Black disparity in U.S. wealth may acknowledge its roots in slavery. But four economists have now made the case quantitatively by charting changes in the wealth gap since the Civil War. The political and societal influences on wealth accumulation between 1860 and today are multifaceted but the basic trajectory is this:…

Much of the disagreement over whether the United States faces a retirement savings crisis hinges on different assumptions on how household consumption changes once the kids leave home. “Optimal savings” studies, which assume that household consumption declines and savings increase when the kids leave, suggest that most people are saving optimally. On the other hand,…