Bridgewater Associates examines how headline economic averages can obscure a widening divide between the top 40% and bottom 60% of Americans. The paper argues that disparities in income, wealth, savings, health, and opportunity have become large enough to influence economic growth, policy decisions, and political stability.
Our Biggest Economic, Social, and Political Issue
Bridgewater
Ray Dalio, Steven Kryger
Article
1 Pages
Key Takeaways
Wealth Divide Widening: The top 40% hold roughly 10 times the average wealth of the bottom 60%, compared with six times as much in 1980.
Financial Cushion Thin: Only about one third of bottom 60% families save income, while retirement accounts average less than $20,000 among those who have them
Health Outcomes Diverging: Premature deaths among the bottom 60% rose roughly 20% since 2000, while suicide deaths increased more than 50% over the same period.
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