Our Research
The Latest from the Future of Wealth
Read our initiative’s full catalog of publications, blogs, and watch videos from past events.
Publication
The New Wealth Agenda: A Blueprint for Building a Future of Inclusive Wealth (2023)
In this report, the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program offers a goal that is equal parts ambitious and achievable: By 2050, we must increase by ten-fold the wealth of households of color and those in the bottom half of the wealth distribution in the United States. In the report, we identify the eight objectives that we believe are the most effective path forward for reaching that goal. We also pinpoint the critical indicators to track and assess our collective progress toward creating the conditions of financial security and well-being that will enable full participation, agency, and dignity in our economy, and a new future of wealth.
Publication
101 Solutions for Inclusive Wealth Building (2022)
Building on our prior work, this new report provides a uniquely comprehensive set of solutions which address the barriers people face at every phase of the wealth building process, from building up savings to protecting one’s assets and passing wealth on to the next generation. Read focused on solutions that would grow the wealth of households in the bottom half of the wealth distribution, and it explores reparative approaches to building the wealth of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC).
Publication
Disparities in Debt (2022)
This brief examines the scale of racial disparities in debt and details the ways that debt makes it harder for households of color to build wealth. It concludes with recommendations for closing racial debt gaps.
Blog
Thirteen Million US households have negative net worth. Will they ever move from debt to wealth? (2022)
This blog highlights the large share of U.S. households that have negative net worth, meaning their debt outweighed their assets, largely driven by rising student loan debt. Learn more about who is in net debt and solutions that can help them get on the path to building wealth.
Publication
Foundations of Building a New Wealth Agenda (2021)
This foundational report explains the importance of building household wealth and identifies the multiple barriers to financial security facing U.S. households. Building on this analysis, it highlights the priorities for solutions to enable wealth building for all households.
Event Video
Future of Building Wealth Book Launch (2021)
Watch conversations with the Future of Wealth book’s editors and a few of its authors to get insights on ideas, tools, and approaches to grow wealth inclusively across the United States — and help people achieve greater levels of economic resilience and upward mobility.
Event Video
The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans- and How We Can Fix it (2021)
Watch author and law professor Dorothy A. Brown discuss her book, ‘The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans – and How We Can Fix It’, with Aspen FSP’s Executive Director, Ida Rademacher.
