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My interviewees never talked about themselves as “rich” or “upper class,” often preferring terms like “comfortable” or “fortunate.” Some even identified as “middle class” or “in the middle,” typically comparing themselves with the super-wealthy, who are especially prominent in New York City, rather than to those with less.

…Real affluence, she said, belonged to her friends who traveled on a private plane.

Others said that affluence meant never having to worry about money, which many of them, especially those in single-earner families dependent on work in finance, said they did, because earnings fluctuate and jobs are impermanent.

– What the Rich Won’t Tell You, Opinion, New York Times, written by Rachel Sherman

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• This essay is adapted from “Uneasy Street: The Anxieties of Affluence
• The New York Times Opinion section is found on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion)