$7.3 trillion of that is held in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).

That's an appetizing figure, especially for a government that just passed $19 trillion in debt and is in pressing need of new funding sources.

Even when you account for all federal assets (like national parks and aircraft carriers), the government's "net financial position" according to its own accounting is negative $17.7 trillion.

And that number doesn't include unfunded Social Security entitlements, which the government estimates is another $42 trillion.

The US national debt has increased by roughly $1 trillion annually over the past several years.

The Federal Reserve has conjured an astonishing amount of money out of thin air in order to buy a big chunk of that debt.

But even the Fed has limitations. According to its own weekly financial statement, the Fed's solvency is at precariously low levels (with a capital base of just 0.8% of assets).