Pandemic economy: Americans richer, but wealth gap a roller coaster
By Michael E. Kanell, The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionTroy Warren for CNT #EditorsPicks #MoneyMost Americans have gotten wealthier during the pandemic, despite a deadly disease that upended the economy.But economic inequality, after narrowing in 2020, appeared to widen again in 2021 as the federal government’s massive financial rescue programs began winding down.What happens next to the size of the economic pie and how it gets sliced are open questions, even more so than in pre-pandemic times, amid greater uncertainty than normal.Soaring inflation is eroding Americans’ purchasing power and raising the threat of a recession that would hurt everyone’s economic fortunes. A surge…