This work investigates the structural exclusion of low-income households from traditional asset-building mechanisms and proposes a shift toward inclusive, asset-based public policy. Michael Sherraden, a prominent scholar in social work and policy, assembles a collection of expert contributions to analyze how current tax-subsidized systems favor homeownership and retirement savings for the wealthy while leaving the poor behind. The text argues that the American Dream is currently gated by policy design, necessitating a fundamental restructuring of financial incentives to ensure broader economic participation.

Experts recognize this text as a foundational contribution to the field of asset-based social policy. Readers frequently note the academic rigor and the clarity with which the contributors link complex economic theory to actionable policy reform.