re: Is one major cause of wealth disparity a poor rate of return on social security?

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That being said, would you be in agreement that the base expenses that one needs to have have skyrocketed to the point where we are unable to save the same % of income that we used to do?

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I'm not sure how one would answer that. Disposable income is largely a function of lifestyle choices. Hard to measure that across groups.

One of the things that seem constant is that no matter how much one makes--you can find a way to spend it. There have been huge shifts in spending habits since the 1970s.

Take spending on homes. Let's look at the average home size..



While simultaneously, household size has decreased
decreased...

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today and the payment on a mortgage, student loan, and car payment.

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Interestingly... I looked for data on student loan amounts going back to 1970. Can't find any. It essentially didn't exist before the 1990s in any significant amount. Given the reduction in discretionary income as a result of student loan payments-- it seem reasonable that debt service influences the common perception that we are poorer today, when the opposite is true.