Upper Middle Status Reports Data-driven research on upper-middle-class life in America, covering spending, status, identity, and lifestyle. Friendships & Inner Circles — Professional managers are not always awesome at managing their personal lives. Status Symbols & Spending — There are haves and have nots. And there are have Rolexes and have not Rolexes. Dogs & Walkies — Our relationships with dogs are juvenile in the nicest possible way. Second Homes & Dream Homes — Where we want to go is always about where we’re at. Sex & Attraction — We're not really monogamists. We're romantic institutionalists. Financial Planning & Retirement — Financially speaking, we've got systems not convictions. Therapy & Therapyspeak — You can't gaslight us. But we can gaslight you. Investing & Risk — Having money doesn't mean that you're good with it. Guilt & Pleasure — Man, we really don't like ourselves. Nepotism & Family Capital — Most of us get a leg up. But that's not really the thing that matters. Gardening & Planting — For people with no time on their hands, getting dirt under their fingernails is a way of reclaiming land they already own. Also, making pesto. Neighborhood & Housing — For members of the productive professional class, anything that isn't optimized can feel like an indulgence. It's why friction feels like warmth. Self-Presentation & Self-Misrepresentation — Most of us lie (just a little), tell jokes that double as confessions, and assume hardship is less awkward to bring up than genuine hard work. Outdoors & Nature — Most urban professionals idealize, but rarely access wilderness, which is rapidly becoming a luxury good for finance bros and tech bros learning to climb.
