2025-06-032025-06-032025-05-19https://repository.tcu.edu/handle/116099117/67106This study examines the divergent wealth-building trajectories of Americans who were 25 in 1990 (now 60) versus those who are 25 today (reaching 60 by 2060), revealing a sizable restructuring of economic opportunity across generations. Through comprehensive analysis of Federal Reserve, Census Bureau, and Bureau of Labor Statistics data under multiple inflation scenarios (1.4%-3.8%), this research identifies a troubling paradigm shift: today's young adults face projected negative net income in later working years, dramatically lower financial asset accumulation, and diminished wealth-building efficiency if the trends established over the last 15 years are allowed to continue. The findings demonstrate inflation's role not merely as a monetary phenomenon but as a powerful redistributive force, with higher inflation scenarios correlating with substantially lower real wealth outcomes despite nominal and real income growth. This research documents the ?Equity Economy??a financial system where participation in appreciating assets has become the primary determinant of economic security, overshadowing income-based advancement. In this environment, those without early access to asset ownership face increasingly insurmountable barriers to wealth accumulation. These structural changes necessitate strategic adaptation by young Americans to navigate this unprecedented environment.inflationwealthequity economyasset ownershipdebthomeownershiphousing affordabilitymonetary policyasset compositionretirement securityeconomic opportunity