"America’s new aristocracy" and "An hereditary meritocracy"

@1rd2st3nd

Just FYI: There is an “estate planning” thread in the Parents Cafe because most of us parents want to lessen the burden on our children/heirs in settling our estates. If you consider estate planning a privilege only available to parents of “rich kids,” then you are misinformed. In fact, people who have modest-sized estates (any-sized estates) are the ones who need the most help and can use practical information to minimize stress, work and cost in a time of grief. If discussions necessarily refer to Federal limits on taxable estates and annual gift limits, that’s somewhat analogous to talking about SAT 2400s and ACT 36s in the SAT and ACT prep threads – just facts, but not everyone has them.

“I see someone hasn’t read the Economist article about happiness and income. It feels good to say that the poor are just as happy as the rich, but facts how otherwise.”

I don’t know whom you’re talking about, but I never made any such comment. In fact the logical conclusion of my earlier post would lead to the opposite: One is likely to have more opportunities for happiness, but not every such person takes advantage of those opportunities made possible by a more care-free life. Lots of things can compromise happiness. Check out what happened to Mark Madoff. I’d call that the ultimate unhappiness.

Not you, epiphany.

It is silly to argue that having lots of money doesn’t improve one’s life in a myriad of ways (not that anyone here did this). It obviously does. It is also silly to believe that the people with the most money are the happiest. Everyone has their own individual threshold of money/happiness equilibrium.

Which is why I hate articles like the OP. And arguments about income inequality and hating on the rich. People who don’t go to college and don’t have million dollar jobs can be just as or happier than those who do. If you are constantly anxious about money and your inability to earn more no matter how hard you try, then your voice should be heard. If you are simply jealous, or lazy, or perfectly fine making what you make and living within your means, then there isn’t much to discuss. Numbers about who has what are meaningless without knowing more about why it is a problem.