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Why Are the Wealthiest So Wealthy? A Longitudinal Empirical Investigation

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Abstract

We use 1993–2015 Norwegian administrative panel data on wealth and income to study lifecycle wealth dynamics. At age 50, the excess wealth of the top 0.1%, relative to mid-wealth households, is accounted for by higher saving rates (34%), initial wealth (32%), and higher returns (27%), while higher labor income (5%) and inheritances (1%) account for the residual. One-fourth of the wealthiest—the “New Money”—start with negative wealth but experience rapid wealth growth early in life. Relative to the “Old Money”, the New Money are characterized by even higher saving rates and returns, and also by higher labor income.

Suggested Citation

  • Elin Halvorsen & Joachim Hubmer & Serdar Ozkan & Sergio Salgado, 2023. "Why Are the Wealthiest So Wealthy? A Longitudinal Empirical Investigation," Working Papers 2023-004, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, revised 13 Jul 2023.
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedlwp:95842
    DOI: 10.20955/wp.2023.004
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    1. Fatih Karahan & Serdar Ozkan & Jae Song, 2019. "Anatomy of Lifetime Earnings Inequality: Heterogeneity in Job Ladder Risk vs. Human Capital," Staff Reports 908, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jean-Baptiste Michau & Yoshiyasu Ono & Matthias Schlegl, 2023. "The Preference for Wealth and Inequality: Towards a Piketty Theory of Wealth Inequality," Working Papers 2023-11, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    wealth inequality; lifecycle wealth dynamics; rate of return heterogeneity; bequests; saving rate heterogeneity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D15 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth

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