Chuck Collins
Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies where he co-edits Inequality.org, and is author of the new book, Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good. He is cofounder of Wealth for the Common Good, recently merged with the Patriotic Millionaires. He is co-author of 99 to 1: The Moral Measure of the Economy and, with Bill Gates Sr., of Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes.
Articles by this author
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Views Tuesday, November 20, 2018 One Way to Skip Wall Street and Invest in Your Community I recently met a person who, with considerable angst, asked what to do about a substantial inheritance. My heartfelt response: Give it away. I did it myself more than 35 years ago, and it was the best decision I ever made. In 1986, faced with my own intergenerational wealth moment, I passed the... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, October 30, 2018 Time for a Tax on Billionaire Wealth Dynasties “We are developing into a plutocracy.” These words are not from Bernie Sanders, but Paul Volker, the former chair of the Federal Reserve under both Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. One indicator that we are drifting toward plutocracy is whether great fortunes grow or disperse over decades... Read more |
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Views Wednesday, October 10, 2018 Towering Excess: The Perils of the Luxury Real Estate Boom for Bostonians Boston is experiencing a luxury real estate boom, with thousands of new luxury residential and rental units in different stages of development. A decade from now, Boston’s skyline and population demographics will be fundamentally altered by decisions being made today. This boom does have benefits,... Read more |
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Views Thursday, October 04, 2018 Trump and the Wealth Dynasty Defense Industry There is little that is shocking about The New York Times expose that Donald Trump and his family schemed to avoid taxes and were handed hundred million dollar inheritances. Despite Trump’s boast to being a self-made billionaire, he was “born on third base,” inheriting a real estate empire from his... Read more |
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Views Wednesday, September 12, 2018 The Wealth Hiding in Your Neighborhood The rich are hiding trillions in wealth. You’ve probably heard about their offshore bank accounts, shell corporations, and fancy trusts. But this wealth isn't all sitting in the Cayman Islands or Panama. Much of it's hiding in plain view: maybe even in your town. America's big cities are... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, July 31, 2018 If You Take a Charitable Tax Deduction, You Should Actually Give to Charity In every community, there are nonprofit charities that serve real needs: local food pantries, programs addressing the opioid crisis, the Red Cross chapters that come to our aid after a storm. Charities provide vital services to the people and places they serve. These organizations lean heavily on... Read more |
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Views Friday, May 11, 2018 Restoring Opportunity: Taxing Wealth to Fund College For All in CA Decades of regressive tax cuts and subsequent budget cuts have undermined the rosy reality of higher education in California. Resulting tuition increases have shifted the cost of college on to students and their parents. Restoring Opportunity: Taxing Wealth to Fund College for All in California... Read more |
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Views Friday, February 16, 2018 Taxing Wealth to Make Public College Free Again Angad Singh Bhalla holds his son, Nanak, in his arms while juggling phone calls at all hours of the day. He is the coordinator of newly formed California College for All campaign. A filmmaker and labor activist, Bhalla has jumped into this campaign with gusto. For Bhalla, this is more than a... Read more |
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Views Wednesday, January 31, 2018 A California Trend Worth Catching: College for All California can be an annoyingly trendy state. Think avocado toast, In-N-Out Burger, Hollywood fashion, even legal pot. But Californians are now in the vanguard to fix the serious problem of how to pay for public higher education. Over 44 million households in the U.S. are saddled with college debt... Read more |
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Views Friday, December 29, 2017 Help For Struggling Millionaires Is On the Way It isn’t easy being a millionaire these days, especially if you’ve got less than $20 million. Fortunately, Congress is watching out for you. Yes, the Republican tax cut bonanza targets lower end millionaires for special relief. Now those struggling to scrape by with $15 million or $20 million can... Read more |