I am lower middle class retired. All my friends are middle/upper middle, many retired, many not. We talk about investments and local economy. I simply do not know anybody managing so poorly, they are not thriving and watching their accounts grow. You could say it is just local to my area if you like, but the national numbers just do not bear it out, as all indicator match local good performance. It is indeed a good stable growth economy, and providing jobs and increased income to the US, overall, as well as local economy.