The average 50-something American is now worth $1.4M(www.usatoday.com)
7 pointsby lxm4 hours ago6 comments
  • biglyburrito4 hours ago
    "Before we proceed into a detailed discussion of net worth by age, we should note one glaring discrepancy in the numbers: the difference between mean and median.

    The average 50-something is worth about $1.4 million, according to Empower. But that’s a mathematical average, and the super-rich drive the number way up.

    The “median” 50-something – imagine the middle number in a long list of numbers – is worth a more modest $192,964."

    So yeah, just a wee bit sensationalism in that headline.

  • uberman4 hours ago
    Super misleading.

    This is the average including and heavily impacted by super high net worth individuals. If you are in your 50s and dont have a million bucks like most dont you are not really behind.

    • elbci4 hours ago
      you are behind the guy with $1M and ahead of the homeless bum with 10 stolen bucks. The elephant in the room is that all three of you are indistinguishably close to each-other when compared to Bezos/Musk/Koch etc ;)
  • curmudgeon224 hours ago
    > The average 50-something is worth about $1.4 million, according to Empower. But that’s a mathematical average, and the super-rich drive the number way up.

    > The “median” 50-something – imagine the middle number in a long list of numbers – is worth a more modest $192,964.

    • cjbenedikt4 hours ago
      "Don't try to walk through a river that is on average 3 feet deep."
  • codingdave4 hours ago
    Scroll to the bottom of the article to see the averages compared with the medians. The concept that older people have more holds true, but the medians are predictably far lower.
  • elbci4 hours ago
    and the average $1.4M is now worth a not yet fully paid mortgage and 2 cars on operational leasing..