Anonymous
05/10/2026 02:30
Subject: Do you worry about your kids being able to maintain your current lifestyle?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I grew up upper middle class in a LCOL area. Parents did very well and owned multiple businesses.
I went to college with no debt, married husband and we also do well. HHI is around $700-800k a year. Sister is also doing very well and her HHI is around $1-1.2 million a year.
I worry our kids will get used to this lifestyle and never be able to replicate it. They are used to living in large houses, traveling to summer houses, flying on nice vacations (first class many times), etc. they aren’t spoiled at all and seem appreciative as much as kids can be but this is just the life they are used to. DH and I work hard and want to enjoy our life as well.
Do you also worry about your kids being able to maintain their lifestyle as they grow up? Of course DH and I do not want to or expect to fund our kids into adulthood and expect them to find careers and support themselves.
I grew up with so many kids like that and not too many were eager to move back to their old neighborhoods or any similar neighborhood. Some girls were taught early on by their mothers how important money and big houses and first class tickets are. They pushed them to “marry their own kind”. Some bought the whole thing and are living a duplicate of their parents lives.
Why wouldn’t you want to fund them into adulthood if this drastic change in housing for your children occurs? I’m a sure they’ll find a career and hopefully enjoy their work. You should be more interested in teaching them how to live within their means. Let them know that if an unexpected expense came up that they can go to you for help. The best feeling is money security and that has nothing to do with a high income. Your income is not really high enough to sustain first class tickets, summer houses and all the expenses that comes with it.
I’ve been reading this thread the past couple of days and I wasn’t going to be the first to say this but - yes!! I’m shocked OP thinks $700-800K HHI is super lux and that they are concerned about their kids not maintaining that HHI. It’s very much a solid UMC HHI in the DC suburbs, but I wouldn’t ever think to it wealthy, and it’s definitely not rare or even cracking the top 1% of households here based on the data.
Today, you wouldn’t be able to afford a large home (minimum $2M but closer to $3M if you care about the top zips) AND beach house ($2M for OC, $4M if you want Bethany or Rehoboth, and so on), let alone regular business class trips on top of all of that on $700-800K. I’d even say it’s a stretch at the low 1s HHI too unless you’ve got family $ or a liquidity event.
700-800k is not upper middle class - that’s ridiculous. I’m surprised they fly first class on that amount, but just because someone has to budget doesn’t mean they’re not wealthy.
Op - clarification we fly first class but a lot of times with points because DH travels so much for work.
Summer house is a family house in the country. Large (5000 sq ft) and very rural so kids love spending time there in the summer. Lots of hiking, swimming, atv riding, etc.
Agree $800k is not super wealthy.
OP, sorry, you have a totally skewed POV of what is super wealthy. $800k is a very high HHI.
I will say though, the rural country house is not at all appealing to me nor would it be to my kids. ATV riding is trashy!
How can an activity be trashy? That is so ridiculously rude. If the kids want to continue the summer house into adulthood they’ll find a way to keep it.
Anonymous
05/08/2026 20:26
Subject: Do you worry about your kids being able to maintain your current lifestyle?
My kids are UMC and so lucky. They will be cash strapped in their 20s but with their comfortable family cushion to fall back on, they will never be poor. It’s amazing what that sense of security is going to give them. And I hope they will enjoy their 20s. My DD is on her way. At school, funded by mom and dad, doing a semester abroad. Right there is the enormous privilege she has. Now, all her flights are cheap, she maximizes public transportation, and spends $20 per night for her share of whatever cheap air bnb they can find. Far cry from traveling with mom and dad but no complaints. If she wants to fly first class some day, she’ll have to get a well paying job or vacation with her family. Really, this is not a kid anyone should be feeling sorry for at all. She’s going to be fine.
Anonymous
05/08/2026 13:17
Subject: Do you worry about your kids being able to maintain your current lifestyle?
I don't think that should be a worry. if you are UMC, your dcs will never know what it's like to feel like they are on their own, truly and fully. They can mess up, not save as much as they should, and get bailed out in some way: move back home, get a little boost financially, you can take to a friend who has a job in their field...They will be just fine even if omg they might not be able to ski in Aspen next winter or send little Timmy to private school. It's not remotely like being alone in the world in your 20s and knowing that if you screw up you might become homeless.
Anonymous
05/08/2026 12:45
Subject: Do you worry about your kids being able to maintain your current lifestyle?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I grew up upper middle class in a LCOL area. Parents did very well and owned multiple businesses.
I went to college with no debt, married husband and we also do well. HHI is around $700-800k a year. Sister is also doing very well and her HHI is around $1-1.2 million a year.
I worry our kids will get used to this lifestyle and never be able to replicate it. They are used to living in large houses, traveling to summer houses, flying on nice vacations (first class many times), etc. they aren’t spoiled at all and seem appreciative as much as kids can be but this is just the life they are used to. DH and I work hard and want to enjoy our life as well.
Do you also worry about your kids being able to maintain their lifestyle as they grow up? Of course DH and I do not want to or expect to fund our kids into adulthood and expect them to find careers and support themselves.
I grew up with so many kids like that and not too many were eager to move back to their old neighborhoods or any similar neighborhood. Some girls were taught early on by their mothers how important money and big houses and first class tickets are. They pushed them to “marry their own kind”. Some bought the whole thing and are living a duplicate of their parents lives.
Why wouldn’t you want to fund them into adulthood if this drastic change in housing for your children occurs? I’m a sure they’ll find a career and hopefully enjoy their work. You should be more interested in teaching them how to live within their means. Let them know that if an unexpected expense came up that they can go to you for help. The best feeling is money security and that has nothing to do with a high income. Your income is not really high enough to sustain first class tickets, summer houses and all the expenses that comes with it.
I’ve been reading this thread the past couple of days and I wasn’t going to be the first to say this but - yes!! I’m shocked OP thinks $700-800K HHI is super lux and that they are concerned about their kids not maintaining that HHI. It’s very much a solid UMC HHI in the DC suburbs, but I wouldn’t ever think to it wealthy, and it’s definitely not rare or even cracking the top 1% of households here based on the data.
Today, you wouldn’t be able to afford a large home (minimum $2M but closer to $3M if you care about the top zips) AND beach house ($2M for OC, $4M if you want Bethany or Rehoboth, and so on), let alone regular business class trips on top of all of that on $700-800K. I’d even say it’s a stretch at the low 1s HHI too unless you’ve got family $ or a liquidity event.
700-800k is not upper middle class - that’s ridiculous. I’m surprised they fly first class on that amount, but just because someone has to budget doesn’t mean they’re not wealthy.
Inflation is up 50% since 2010. That means $700-800K today is what $500K was in 2010. Puts it into perspective.
That’s still wealthy. Not UMC.
It should be wealthy. But it's not if the expenses mean that they must keep working with that salary.