Attempting to answer the question a different way...<p>I presented three fictional &quot;couples&quot; and their career choices that would easily get you to the $125,000 point in today&#x27;s labor market. None of these pairing would be considered &quot;highly compensated&quot; or upper class. Middle class would be a more appropriate designation.<p>With regards to the &quot;suck&quot; factor - try running a household in SF, LA, or NYC (with kids and spouse) on that amount. I don&#x27;t think owning my own home and having good schools is a particularly decadent expectation. Or having good access to health care and support services. Nor should I be expected to leverage myself to the eyeballs to buy a starter home.<p>Would think that the expectation of a professional earning that amount is that they are providing their kids with an environment where their kids can replicate their success.