I went on a girl’s trip to Napa Valley last weekend for a friend’s birthday. It was gorgeous weather, there were amazing wine-tastings, we rented a cute little house, went to the spa, and overall had a really great time.
One of the women who came with us is in her early 30s and is an attorney in San Francisco. She’s not the low man on the totem pole but not partner, and inferred that she made around 150k per year. She also said that she’s middle class and that she always feels poor. I gently told her that only about 5% of people make over 100k and that puts her quite far above “middle” class, even if she lives in San Francisco. She said, “well, maybe top 5% in the world”. I had to tell her that in the world, she’s firmly in the top 1% of earners.
It amazes me how out of touch people sometimes are with where they are financially. I suppose if you are surrounded by multi millionaires and only make 150k you might feel poor. Just goes to show it’s all about perspective and context.
Mom Equity 