Is the U.S. Retirement System Contributing to Rising Wealth
                    Inequality?

What are now called “traditional IRAs” (Individual Retirement Accounts) were created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Roth IRAs were added in 1997. Employer-sponsored Simplified Employee Pensions–IRAs were added in 1978 and Savings Investment Match Plans for Employees–IRAs (and 401(k)s) in 1996. Together IRAs hold $8.8 trillion in assets, one third of the total $27.1 trillion in all retirement plans. This article examines the role and importance of IRAs in the U.S. retirement system and the development of the different types of IRAs and their interaction with each other.

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Inflation, Interest, and the Secular Rise in Wealth Inequality in the U.S.: Is the Fed Responsible?

10.3386/w29392 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Edward Wolff

Keyword(s):

Wealth Inequality ◽

The U.S

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Economic Inequality, the Digital Divide, and Remote Learning During COVID-19

The Review of Black Political Economy ◽

10.1177/00346446211017797 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 003464462110177

Author(s):

Dania V. Francis ◽

Christian E. Weller

Keyword(s):

Digital Divide ◽

Intergenerational Transmission ◽

Race And Ethnicity ◽

Electronic Device ◽

Wealth Inequality ◽

Educational Opportunities ◽

Housing Instability ◽

Learning Time ◽

The U.S ◽

Remote Learning

Wealth and education establish a cycle of intergenerational inequality. Wealthier households can provide more educational opportunities for their children, who then will have more chances to build wealth for themselves. The digital divide may have emerged as a key reinforcing mechanism of education through wealth and of future wealth through education during the pandemic. The intergenerational transmission of racial wealth inequality likely played out at rapid speed during the pandemic. We analyze the link between wealth, reliable internet and electronic device availability, remote learning time, race, and ethnicity, using the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. We conclude that Black and Hispanic/Latinx households have less reliable internet and devices available. This goes along with fewer hours children spend on remote learning. The lack of internet and devices correlates with less wealth, as reflected in lower homeownership rates and greater housing instability. Black and Hispanic/Latinx households, in particular, are more likely to be renters and face housing instability.

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