There are few things more frustrating than America’s enormous wealth inequality. Consider that the United States has more money held by private citizens than any other country in the world. According to the Federal Reserve, U.S. households hold a total of $160.35 trillion, which is the value of each person’s assets minus their liabilities. However, many Americans are perplexed by the fact that, in a country with such wealth, so many people still struggle to make ends meet.

Although Americans hold the largest amount of privately held wealth in the world, many of us still struggle with financial stress. A recent report found that 68% don’t have enough money to retire, 56% are struggling to keep up with the cost of living, and 45% are worried about their debt levels. A significant reason is that a small number of people hold a large portion of the privately held wealth in the U.S..

Nearly two-thirds of America’s private wealth is held by the top 10% of people, leaving the remaining one-third to be divided among 90% of the population. For reference, the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, briefly became the world’s first trillionaire in June 2026 after SpaceX went public, and his net worth has since fluctuated between roughly $850 billion and just over $1 trillion, a truly mind-numbingly, staggeringly large number either way.

What if........

© Upworthy