It’s mixed.

I wasn’t born rich, neither was my partner. Our parents were blue collar workers providing services for the rich (mending their clothes, changing their oil, their plowing their driveways, that sorta thing) for extra money to make ends meet.

We went into debt to educate ourselves, built careers, started a family, and now are among the top 3% for household income.

Our cars are modest, but new. We don’t think about grocery bills, and we can visit any medical provider we need for any reason. I don’t have to think too hard about upgrading my phone when the time comes. But I still sometimes agonize over spending money on things more expensive than what I can get at Costco. We can afford luxury vacations, but not frequently and we have to deprioritize other things to make it happen.

Our families don’t understand investment market economies and sometimes resent us. Our colleagues and neighbors don’t understand a childhood where up food and electricity are not guaranteed and sometimes look down on us.