Research published today by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) presents analysis of the distribution of wealth in the GB population using data from the first wave of the Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS). The analysis illustrates what the distribution of different forms of wealth can tell us about future retirement resources. It also looks at the extent to which household wealth is likely to have been exposed to falling asset prices during the recent economic downturn since the time of the WAS fieldwork (2006-2008). As research has shown that education and lifetime income levels are linked, this paper uses the level of education of the household head as a proxy for the level and profile of lifetime income. The main findings from this research can be divided into two key themes: Distribution of wealth • Wealth levels are lowest amongst the youngest households and highest amongst households close to retirement, before falling again after state pension age, consistent with the idea o