Karen Rowlingson is Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management (CHASM) at the University of Birmingham. Her research interests include personal finance and inequality. Stephen McKay is Professor of Social Research in the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham.  He has particular expertise in the secondary analysis of complex datasets in relation to, social security, inequality and wealth.

"Now is the time for a serious social policy analysis of wealth and the wealthy. This illuminating book provides both the data and a clear-sighted discussion of the issues." Jane Millar, University of Bath

• Why wealth matters; Why the wealthy matter; What is wealth and who are the wealthy?; The distribution of wealth; The rich, the richer and the richest; Towards a comprehensive policy on assets; Social policy and the wealthy; Conclusions.