This paper structurally estimates the Capitalist Spirit Model, in which utility derives from direct preferences for wealth. Its results support the hypothesis that wealth accumulation is a luxury good, by showing that the marginal utility from wealth declines more slowly than that from consumption.

In a model calibrated to match micro- and macroeconomic evidence on household income dynamics, we show that a modest degree of heterogeneity in household preferences or beliefs is sufficient to match empirical measures of wealth inequality in the United States. The heterogeneity-augmented...