Real wages are falling in rich countries as prices rise faster than pay, which is bad for workers and homebuyers but useful for businesses pushing AI and tariffs.

• Prices at the grocery store and gas pump are climbing faster than paychecks, squeezing regular households.
• Trump's tariffs and trade fights are pushing costs up, and other countries like Canada are pulling back from buying American.
• The share of young Americans who think it is a good time to buy a home has dropped from 53% to 29% in under a decade.
• Fewer than half of people aged 15 to 34 think it is a good time to find a job, with AI expected to replace many roles.
• Most wealth in the US now comes from inheritance, not from working up from nothing, making the American dream harder to reach.

Outlook: Real wages and home affordability will likely keep falling as tariffs, AI job losses, and high prices grind on workers.