#housing-wealth

#housing-wealth

Financially, the American dream should not be homeownership, but should be financial independence, Robert Johnson, CEO of Economic Index Associates and a professor at Creighton University, said in the report. People fall prey to the stories of individuals realizing substantial gains by buying a home and selling it at a much higher price years down the road. He noted that nearly 29% of household wealth was tied to home equity in 2021, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Around the turn of the 21st century, the U.K. witnessed a dramatic surge in housing prices: the costs rose from four times peoples' annual earnings in 1995, to eight times by 2010. Homeowners subsequently enjoyed a wealth windfall, and it resulted in their kids receiving more housing wealth and higher-paying jobs, according to recent research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Lower-income renters, on the other hand, were faced with new affordability challenges.

US household net worth climbed to a record $176.29 trillion in the second quarter, according to data released Thursday by the Federal Reserve. That's an increase of $7.3 trillion from the first quarter of this year - and about $46 trillion more than in the final quarter of 2019, before the pandemic upended the economy. The surge was largely driven by Wall Street's continued rally.