Over the past 15 years, the total net wealth of U.S. households has grown dramatically faster than the nation’s economy. This is called “asset inflation,” and it typically occurs when governments create more money than required by their economies. This phenomenon increases the wealth of people who already own assets, while making those assets less affordable for those with little wealth. A primary driver of asset inflation has been the Federal Reserve creating $8 trillion in new money to pay for rising government spending on social programs and financial industry bailouts.