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Practical Steps Promoting Greater Wealth Equality

2021 Milken Institute Global Conference

Practical Steps Promoting Greater Wealth Equality

Tuesday, October 19, 2021
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM PDT
Sunset Pavilion
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recession exacerbated long-standing gaps in economic opportunity and wealth across the US. Today, the bottom 50 percent of families own only 1.5 percent of US wealth, down from 3.6 percent in 1990. The median retirement savings for working-age Americans is close to $0. Without immediate policy intervention, these inequities will continue to grow. What can be done to help low- and moderate-income Americans save more and build generational wealth? Potential solutions include baby bonds, universal basic income, and a bipartisan retirement savings program modeled after the Thrift Savings Plan available to federal employees. What other remedies are available, and what would it take to implement them?