Does This Definition Make Me Look Rich?

Does This Definition Make Me Look Rich?

How much income do America’s households take in? How much do they have left after taxes? Do federal taxes leave the nation less or more unequal? Questions don’t get much more basic than these. Or more complicated. How, for instance, do we define income? Anything...
Leave No Generation Behind

Leave No Generation Behind

Over a decade ago, I got a call from Bill Gates. Not the Bill Gates you’re probably thinking of. It was Bill Gates Sr., the Microsoft founder’s dad. He was eager to speak out in support of the federal estate tax, our nation’s only levy on inherited wealth....
You Just Got ‘Richsplained’

You Just Got ‘Richsplained’

Tiffany Beroid, a mother and Wal-Mart employee in Laurel, Maryland, was forced to drop out of college because of her employer’s low wages and erratic scheduling practices. When she spoke out about the problems she faced, Wal-Mart fired her. Since then, Beroid...
America’s Grand Fortunes Go Overboard

America’s Grand Fortunes Go Overboard

Imagine yourself part of the typical American family. Your household would have, the Federal Reserve reported in September, a net worth of $81,200. That’s not a whole lot of money. But half of America’s households would actually have less wealth than you...