The gap in racial equity that persists in many facets of American life impacts home ownership as well. Among Black families, 44% owned their own home as of the first quarter of this year compared to 73.7% of white families, according to the U.S. Census. And that disparity is even greater depending on the city, according to an analysis of census data by the national real estate brokerage Redfin.

We at Money talk a lot about the power of compound interest. It’s the magical way your savings builds up exponentially — or compounds — as you stash away cash and earn interest on your interest, year after year.

Nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd have thrown issues of economic inequality, already exasperated by the coronavirus crisis, into sharp relief. The wealth gap in America has been growing since at least the 1970s as income levels stagnated for lower and middle class households while continuing to grow for households at the top of the spectrum.

The Seattle area ranks among the richest places in the country. Yet some households are worth little, or nothing at all.