But we need to reach further to engage those who have not been able to participate fully. The results of the Federal Reserve’s most recent Survey of Consumer Finances, for example, indicate that families with low-to-moderate incomes and some minority groups did not appear to fully benefit from the highly favorable economic developments of the mid-1990s.
Between 1995 and 1998, the median real net worth for all families increased 17-1/2 percent, whereas the median net worth for families with incomes below $ declined and medians for non-whites and Hispanics were little changed. Although this performance leaves much to be desired, positive signs can also be found.