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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Here is where a lot of people are coming from--we made $140-160K and lived in a townhouse we bought for $360K that was 1000 square feet. Then we sold it and got a modest SFH (still in our close-in suburb) for $600,000 that has appreciated to $1,000,000. And our incomes went from $160K to $300K. In 25 years our 401ks went from $0 to $1,000,000. When we made $160K we were paying off student loans and paying for child care. Now we are paying for braces and facing college for two kids. So, to you, we are rich because we have a net worth of $1.5M now and an income of $300,000, but we feel like the same people and live in the same house we have since we made half as much money and live basically the same lifestyle except we put a lot more in savings. We don't feel rich, we feel....middle class. Or upper middle class if you want. [/quote]

In a similar boat, but I feel I live a normal middle class lifestyle while also being extremely fortunate and rich.  It feels like some sort of life cheat code that my investment accounts just keep growing like crazy when I'm not doing anything special (yes, I'm saving a ton in them - but I'm not actually working harder than I was at age 25, nor am I living a pauper lifestyle in order to invest). Capitalism is so weird.

I do feel differently about money than I did when we made way less, because there is just so much more margin to absorb any problems or bumps.  This goes from huge financial things like extended job loss, to an unexpected expensive bill, to simply just not caring what my grocery bill is.  That is the biggest difference for me between when I was truly middle class / UMC and now.[/quote]

But could you quit your job? There’s a difference between not stressing over a car repair bill and being rich. I get that lots of other people stress a lot more, but making $300k around here doesn’t even put us in sending the kids to private school territory, or flying first class. [/quote]

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