Nearly three out of four households in the U.S. fall short of having "essential wealth," or enough money to weather financial shocks; support their families' physical and mental health; and access such opportunities as education, homeownership and retirement savings that can build even more wealth over time, according to a new report by the Aspen Institute.
While many workers focus on their salaries, achieving financial well-being requires another "cushion that income alone cannot provide" — it requires wealth, including savings, investments and other assets, according to the report.
World Cup-champion Spain just won $50 million — and the IRS gets a cut
Bond yields are sending a new signal about Fed rate hikes
19 (mostly) tech stocks that have fallen at least 25% in July
'I am at a loss': My brother is dying. We are not close. What responsibility do I have to help him?
"Wealth is not a luxury," said Joanna Smith-Ramani, co–executive director of the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program. It is the foundation for people to buy a home, pay for college, invest in their families' future, prioritize their well-being, choose meaningful careers and spend time with their families, she said.
The median net worth for households led by people in their 30s is about $100,000. Those in their 40s have a median net worth of $179,000, and, in their 50s, $285,000, according to a recent Investopedia analysis of 2022 federal data.
As most people build net worth over time, researchers at the Aspen Institute, a left-of-center think tank, developed benchmarks for essential wealth by age. On average, every age group fell short of Aspen's threshold, despite the benchmarks being lower than the rules of thumb recommended by some other financial experts.
Nearly half of all households fell into a tier "above the asset poverty line," meaning they "have escaped acute fragility but do not currently have a foundation for resilience and growth."
"Most Americans just don't have what they need to thrive," said Steven Brown, director of insights and evidence for the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program and an author of the report. Improving financial well-being doesn't just require addressing income,but challenges on "both the asset side and the debt side."
MarketWatch's breakdown of net worth by age — from the 25th percentile to the top 1% — is available here. Some financial experts told MarketWatch that reaching a net worth in the top 10% surprisingly only buys a "middle-class wealthy" lifestyle, meaning a household that can mostly do what it wants but not live lavishly.
Source: Yahoo Finance Top News — This article was automatically imported from the source. Read full article at original source →
