The “American dream” has always been about money: financial progression and building wealth. But for many the concept is slipping further and further away as the country’s yawning wealth gap widens. So the question is: can you still climb the proverbial wealth ladder, or is the dream dead? And if there is still room to rise, how important is salary versus investments? How can exchange-traded funds help?

On this episode, Joe and Eric speak with Nick Maggiulli, author of the new book, The Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life, and chief operating officer and data scientist at Ritholtz Wealth Management. Topics discussed include how the ladder breaks, pros and cons of different strategies for climbing it and how intertwined happiness and wealth are.

The &ldquo;American dream&rdquo; has always been about money:&nbsp;financial progression and building wealth. But for many the concept is slipping further and further away as the country&rsquo;s yawning&nbsp;<a href="bbg://news/stories/STF977DWRGG0" data-web-url="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-26/half-of-american-households-hold-97-5-of-the-national-wealth" data-cke-saved-href="bbg://news/stories/STF977DWRGG0">wealth gap</a> widens. So the question is: can you still climb the proverbial wealth ladder, or is the dream dead? And if there is still room to rise, how important is salary versus investments? How can exchange-traded funds&nbsp;help?
On this episode, Joe and Eric speak with Nick Maggiulli, author of the new book, The Wealth Ladder:&nbsp;Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life, and chief operating officer and data scientist at Ritholtz Wealth Management. Topics discussed include how the ladder breaks, pros and cons of different strategies for climbing it&nbsp;and how intertwined happiness and wealth are.

Money goes where it’s treated best. That simple truth is a big reason why more and more money (trillions, in fact) flows into a powerful, low-cost tool that’s quietly transformed investing. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them—and hopefully delight you in the process.

Money goes where it&rsquo;s treated best. That simple truth is a big reason why more and more money (trillions, in fact) flows into a powerful, low-cost tool that&rsquo;s quietly transformed investing. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them&mdash;and hopefully delight you in the process.

Joel Weber and Eric Balchunas demystify the world of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs.

Trillions

Climbing the Wealth Ladder with Nick Maggiulli

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/841749a3-e7cb-4d5a-8378-b361013afb9b/transcript

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