The New Gilded Age
Are We in a New Gilded Age? Understanding Wealth Inequality and Economic Power in 2025
By G. Mark Brewer, Esq.
Wealth inequality, corporate consolidation, and financial speculation are at historic highs. With billionaires growing richer and most workers struggling with stagnant growth in earnings or household income and rising inflation, many historians are asking: Are we in a new Gilded Age? This article explores the signs of a modern Gilded Age, how it compares to the past, and what it means for financial regulation and reform, investment markets, and realities of investing in 2025.
What Defines a Gilded Age?
The original Gilded Age (roughly from 1870 to the early 1900s) featured extreme wealth accumulation, monopolies, and growing income disparity. Industrial giants dominated key markets, and most workers faced poor working and living conditions. Today’s economy shows signs of similar dynamics: Big Tech monopolies, speculative finance, extreme income disparity --- and rising financial elder abuse.
Key Parallels Between 2025 and the Original Gilded Age
• Historic levels of wealth inequality and tax avoidance
• Powerful technology corporations dominating digital infrastructure
• Limited accountability for financial misconduct
• Labor conditions eroding in the gig and freelance economy
• Public mistrust of political and financial institutions
How Today Differs from the 19th Century
Unlike the 19th century, today we have consumer protection laws, federal oversight, and public access to information. However, regulatory agencies like the Securities Exchange Commission are often underfunded or limited in their investigations and prosecution by administration policy directives. Some regulatory agencies have been gutted altogether as was the fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Anti-Money laundering laws have been rescinded, and the Internal Revenue Services has been underfunded. Regulatory gaps allow abuse to persist—especially in financial advising and investment services.
Why It Matters: Legal, Moral and Ethical Implications
For the past 30+ years, as an attorney focusing on financial recovery and elder fraud, I have witnessed the directive correlation between the lack of regulation and the resulting swindles, scams, grifts, fraud and financial abuse. Just like during the Gilded Age, today’s disparities raise serious legal, moral and ethical concerns.
What Can Be Done?
• Strengthen --- do not eliminate --- consumer protection laws
• Enforce more transparency in financial services
• Address financial elder abuse through legal reform
• Advocate for equitable tax policy and wealth redistribution
Contact an Experienced Financial Dispute Attorney
If you or a loved one has suffered due to broker misconduct or financial fraud, I can help. I offer legal counsel in FINRA arbitrations and other investment recovery forums. Wall Street disputes are all that I do.
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