Hyman

“The appeal of the house for Americans, going back into the 20th century, was that it signified autonomy. You know, every home is a castle,” says Louis Hyman, an economic historian and assistant professor at Cornell University. “So, it has these echoes of signifying independence and achievement.”

As Americans find that their wages are stagnating after the 1970s, they're able to make money by investing in houses,” Hyman says.

Hyman says one answer to the problem could be to set up a system of portable benefits. “Every time there is a transaction, every time somebody comes to your door and delivers something to you, a dollar goes into their retirement account and a dollar goes into their health care fund,” Hyman says.

The character of Hyman Roth from The Godfather Part II was based on Meyer Lansky.