If you are above 40, I hope you would have built some financial net worth through hard work and thrift.  And if you are under 40, I hope that at least you aspire to build up some savings for a more comfortable retirement.
 
But perhaps like me, you did not realise that by working hard, paying off your mortgages and saving, you are depriving 15-19 year olds of a fair share of your wealth?  Every dollar you save relative to someone with no savings increases wealth inequality.
 
At least some might draw that conclusion from the way Sue Bradford and Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei have commented on New Zealand’s alleged inequality crisis this week.
 
Statistics New Zealand just released a report on the distribution of household and individual wealth in New Zealand in 2015. On Wednesday morning, Sue Bradford was on breakfast TV decrying the shamefully unequal distribution. (I was kindly allowed to say a few words between her monologues – you can watch the interview here)
 
Meanwhile, Metiria Turei was quoted in the Dominion Post as claiming that wealth inequality was driving the housing crisis. It was causing over 40,000 children’s hospital visits every year because of cold, damp and mouldy homes, Turei said.
 
Well, that’s trivially true. If the middle-aged and elderly were no wealthier than teenagers, then obviously there would be vastly less wealth inequality. But sadly that would not mean that no kids would be living in cold, damp and mouldy homes.
 
It gets worse. There is also major inequality within each stage of the life cycle. Take households with dependent children. The median net worth of such a two adult household is around $250,000; for a one adult household it is $26,000. But is this the fault of two-adult households?
 
And let’s not get started on education-related inequality. Those who worked hard to get post-school qualifications, and subsequently, obviously earn more and own more. The median net worth of those with a master’s degree or a doctorate is $195,000; it is only $49,000 for those with no school qualification. But does that mean we need to blame academics for inequality?
 
On TV, Sue Bradford blamed the lamentably unresponsive major political parties for inequality. Decent political parties would force you all to do the decent thing.
 
But the real question is this: If age, education, and hard work are the most important factors for some people being wealthier than others, is there anything that could or should be done about it? And would anyone vote for it?