There are four levels of wealth.
When you& #39;re broke, every day is a struggle, because not having enough money creates a cascade of problems. Overdrafts, fees and fines, juggling different kinds of trouble. Don& #39;t pay this, you& #39;ll owe a fine, but don& #39;t pay this and you get evicted. I& #39;ve been broke. It sucks.
When you& #39;re a bit better off, these problems go away and this stress -- which is a huge part of daily life when you& #39;re broke -- disappears. Phew!
When you& #39;re even better off, you can pay for convenience and neutralize your own screw-ups. You sent the check late, but your kid& #39;s not getting kicked out of preschool because you can afford the $200 late fee. You missed the flight, but another ticket won& #39;t break the bank.
When you& #39;re flat-out rich, you can afford not to think about any of these things, and devote time to feeling aggrieved about your tax rate.
That& #39;s where $400,000 a year puts you. I& #39;ve lived in New York. If you make $400,000 a year in New York, you& #39;re not upper-middle-class fancy. You& #39;re flat-out rich. https://twitter.com/robtfrank/status/1313512530183106565">https://twitter.com/robtfrank...