Five years out from the financial crisis, families making over $800,000 a year are feeling positive about their stock portfolios and economic growth. According to the survey, they'll be cutting back on holiday shopping this year: "Affluent households plan to spend an average of $2,175 on holiday gifts, a 2.8 percent decline from 2012." The Wall Street Journal points out that $2,175 is almost four times the amount the National Retail Federation forecasts the average holiday shopper will spend. The top 1 percent's average income grew by 31 percent — economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty are calling it a new "Gilded Age." And if you're a rich Democrat, the Clintons are back to be very nice to you. It was not fun to be a rich person then! Take it from the guys on Wall Street who got smaller bonuses when the economy was in the tank.
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