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)
1)
Note piketty text varies between 180k and 200k€ as average wealth..