to me this is actually the biggest cultural difference in classes. upper-middle class thinks like the wealthy - they are highly educated, understand saving and investing, and understand how to get ahead in our system. people in the upper middle class may start their own business and potentially move into the upper class.

middle class generally doesn't know a ton about these things, and basically just does what it needs to in order to get by and stay in the middle. they're not really aware of how you go about getting into the best schools or getting the best jobs, or how much they're getting screwed by the classes above (they know they're getting screwed, they just don't realize the extent most of the time). it's not too hard to move from middle to upper-middle, but you need to have the right circumstances.

and just to add in, lower middle class is a lot like middle class, they just make less. they may or may not have less education, but they think the same way. that's really it, in america at least.