Lusardi, AnnamariaMichaud, Pierre-CarlMitchell, Olivia2023-05-222019-03-072017-04-012017-09-08https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/5240We show that financial knowledge is a key determinant of wealth inequality in a stochastic life cycle model with endogenous financial knowledge accumulation, where financial knowledge enables individuals to better allocate lifetime resources in a world of uncertainty and imperfect insurance. Moreover, because of how the US social insurance system works, better-educated individuals have most to gain from investing in financial knowledge. Our parsimonious specification generates substantial wealth inequality relative to a one-asset saving model and one in which returns on wealth depend on portfolio composition alone. We estimate that 30–40 percent of retirement wealth inequality is accounted for by financial knowledge.© 2017 by The University of Chicago PressBusinessEconomicsPublic Affairs, Public Policy and Public AdministrationArticle