Economic inequality

Study: It's better to have rich parents than be smart

A recent report from the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) finds that there is a correct answer to the often posed hypothetical of being born with a big brain or a big bank account.

The big picture: In "Born to Win, Schooled to Lose," researchers found that being born "affluent" but dim carries a 7 in 10 chance of reaching a high socioeconomic status as an adult, while being born intelligent but "disadvantaged" means just a 3-in-10 shot.

Too much money (and too few places to invest it)

A man balancing an unruly pile of money and another man looking at a very small stack of money.
Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios


Why it matters: At a time when growing income inequality is fueling voter discontent and underpinning an array of social movements, the top 1% of earners and big companies are holding record levels of unused cash.