Before 1939, wages and profits in the financial sector in the United States amounted to less than 1% of GDP; now they stand at 7-8% of GDP. In recent decades, financial assets have expanded dramatically relative to any measure of economic activity, as life expectancy increased and the post-WWII baby boomers began to think about saving for retirement.
1939年前，美国金融部门的工资和利润还不到GDP的1%；如今这一比例为7—8%。近几十年来，随着预期寿命的延长以及二战后婴儿潮一代开始为退休而储蓄，金融资产相对任何经济活动指标都大幅扩张。如今，美国个体银行相对经济的规模比20世纪90年代初大幅增加。（其他工业化国家的具体数字有所不同，但金融的崛起是整体现象。）