wealths

Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or assets that can be used to produce goods and services or to secure well-being. It is distinct from income, which measures the flow of resources over time, whereas wealth denotes the stock of assets at a point in time. Wealths can be categorized into several forms: financial wealth (cash, stocks, bonds), physical or material wealth (homes, equipment, infrastructure), human capital (education, health, skills), social capital (networks, trust, social connections), natural capital (land, water, minerals, ecosystems), and intellectual or cultural capital (knowledge, patents, brand value). The plural term wealths is occasionally used when contrasting different capital types, but in common usage wealth is treated as a single aggregate concept.

Measurement typically uses net worth, the difference between assets and liabilities, or indicators of household, firm, or national wealth. Wealth distribution is uneven within and between countries, leading to discussions of wealth inequality, wealth taxes, inheritance laws, and policies affecting access to education and capital formation.

Dynamics of wealth involve creation, accumulation, transfer, and depletion. Returns on investments, savings, entrepreneurship, property rights, and macroeconomic conditions influence growth of wealth, while consumption, risk, and demographic changes shape its distribution. Critics note that wealth captures only accumulated assets and may obscure non-material well-being; others emphasize the role of institutions and governance in shaping how wealth is generated and shared.