“For what it’s worth, my wife and I currently make a bit more than that, and have one child. In northeastern Massachusetts, this places us solidly in the middle class, not in the “upper middle class” by any stretch of the imagination.”
I’m curious, and feel free to ‘private reply’ if you’re more comfortable, what you feel is the difference between ‘middle class’ and ‘upper middle class’. To be honest, I’m not sure I know myself...
Here's how I'd make the call:
The upper class---the rich---have F.U. money. In other words, they don't have to work.The upper middle class have plenty of dough---enough that they can pick and choose the job they want---the job that makes them happy.
The regular middle class has enough dough to lead a comfortable lifestyle, but they don't have the ability to take the job they really want---they work more for the paycheck than anything else.
The lower middle class leads a modestly comfortable lifestyle, but they constantly sweat money, and are typically only a paycheck or two away from real trouble.
The lower class is scraping real hard just to get by.