We study the link between individual skills, education, and wealth inequality through the channel of financial investment decisions. We present a simple model of individuals with heterogeneous ability in evaluating investment opportunities and a welfare-maximizing policymaker who subsidizes...

Using individual-level data from the Survey on Household Income and Wealth (SHIW), we estimate the extra-returns to wealth earned by highly educated individuals (education premium). Importantly, we quantify the fraction of the premium due to the financial investments decisions, such as stock...

We study the link between education and wealth inequality through the channel of financial investment decisions. We present a simple model of individuals with heterogeneous ability in evaluating investment opportunities. We show that a welfare maximizing policy-maker can reduce inequality by...

We study partnership sorting by education, the profile of wealth accumulation and the implications for wealth inequality for two cohorts born in 1947-1953 and 1973-1979 using the Wealth and Assets Survey for Great Britain. Our findings suggest individuals positively sort by education relative to...

This study uses five series of demographic and health surveys to answer the question: 'Is horizontal inequality in education and wealth increasing or decreasing in the 20-year interval between 1991 and 2010?'. Horizontal inequality in education attainment has been moving in waves; however, there...

I examine how differences in the ability to identify profitable investment opportunities contribute to wealth inequality. I analyze a model of financial markets with investors heterogeneously informed about future returns. The unconditional wealth share distribution features a thick right-tail...

Using new long-run microdata, this article studies wealth and income trends of households with a college degree (college households) and without a college degree (noncollege households) in the United States since 1956. We document the emergence of a substantial college wealth premium since the...

Using new long-run microdata, this paper studies wealth and income trends of college and non-college households in the United States since 1956. We document the emergence of a substantial college wealth premium since the 1980s, which is considerably larger than the college income premium. Over...

Rich democracies have experienced a large increase in income inequality starting around 1980, coinciding with a rise in international trade and information technology. The leading theories used to explain changes in the income distribution — skill-biased technological change and globalization...