Episode 23

How do you get rich in America? Not the way you think.

Published on: 4th September, 2026

There's a big spotlight - and a lot of resistance to - billionaires, from Elon Musk to Larry Ellison. But we’re missing an under-the-radar revolution in American wealth.

The country is minting far more multimillionaires than it used to: People who make money in ways you might never think about, in amounts you can barely dream of. And these folks tend to be anonymous - but incredibly influential - urging politicians to shift the tax burden away from them. Will that pull the ladder up for the next generation?

Princeton’s Owen Zidar, co-author of the new book The Everywhere Millionaire, joins Kara to talk about what we miss about wealth in America (plus, renting out Versailles for your wedding).

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About the Podcast

It Turns Out
"It Turns Out" reveals the hidden realities reshaping our world—from how marriage impacts inequality to the way that the tax code has transformed wealth.

Through conversations with experts who challenge conventional wisdom, award-winning journalist Kara Miller focuses each episode on groundbreaking research, changing how listeners see society, economics, technology, and human behavior. “It Turns Out” delves into data that directly impacts your life—whether you know it or not.

You can reach us at info@itturnsoutshow.com

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This work was done under Grant No. G-2025-79141.

About your host

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Kara Miller

Kara hosted the nationally-syndicated public radio program Innovation Hub, which she launched. The program won the 2021 Clarion Award for best Radio Talk or Interview Program and aired on more than 100 stations, including in New York, Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Washington, D.C. It spotlighted compelling thinkers, including Steve Wozniak, Sherry Turkle, Yo-Yo Ma, Walter Isaacson, and Sal Khan.

She writes “The Big Idea” column for The Boston Globe and is a frequent contributor to The Boston Globe Magazine.

Kara has moderated panels and spoken about innovation and entrepreneurship at events hosted by The International Women’s Forum, PBS Digital Media for STEM, Harvard Medical School, Google, and MIT Sloan.

She has taught at Babson College and at the University of Massachusetts.