"the average American family probably owns close to a quarter million dollars in assets (including their house)"
You must be one of the people that the quarter-millionaire advertising has gotten to. That was BS made up to get people to refinance their homes to take out solid invested money to spend on doodads like boats, race cars, trophy chicks with big fake boobs, over-priced McMansions made out of wood which are nothing more than more liabilities which just increase people's debt.
Yeah, the average American is probably half a million in debt by now but their doodads seem like assets to the outsiders.
Weed is probably the only true asset left because it can't be bought on credit.