Your Place in Society

The following is based on the work of Thomas Piketty in “Capital in the 21st Century”.

• 30,000 € : Average income (2010 values)
  
• 180,000€ € : Average Private Wealth (6 times the income)
  

This private wealth is made up of equal parts real estate and financial instruments

• 90,000 € Real Estate
• 90,000 € Financial Instruments (stocks, bonds, savings, or other investments)

Return on capital is typically on the order of 5%/year over the long run.

• 9,000 € return on 180,000€ capital

⇒ 30% of income is derived from

The above “average citizen” of course does not exist.

In terms of private wealth, the following sections of the wealth distribution:

• 0%-50% - owns almost nothing (average 20k€) - lower class
  
• 50%-90% - own ~ - Middle Class
  
• 90%-100% - own 60% of total wealth ⇒ 6xAverage wealth = ~1'€ - Upper Class
  

The division inside this top 10% is however even more dramatic:

• 90%-99% - own ??(~15% of )
• 99%-100% - own ….??~4'€ (25x average wealth) ¹⁾

In terms of income:

Income is 30% from

10000 € own furniture, refrigerators, cars, etc.. (1/3 of yearly income)