The middle class is disappearing

TonyLiberty · 2026-05-28T18:44:55+00:00

=== SUMMARY === - The post argues that inflation is crushing the bottom 80%, with corporate profits at record highs while wages stay flat, leading to the disappearance of the middle class. - Author presents a plot showing middle-income households declining as a share, but top comments note the lower class is also shrinking while the upper class grows – suggesting upward mobility rather than pure decline. - Quality assessment: Speculation with a simplistic narrative; lacks rigorous data or specific investment thesis. The comments provide a strong counter-argument that undermines the author’s doom-and-gloom framing. === SENTIMENT === MIXED === TRADE IDEAS === No actionable trade ideas in this post. The post is a broad macroeconomic observation without any specific tickers, sectors, or directional calls. The author’s thesis is contradicted by top community comments highlighting upward mobility, making even an implied trade difficult to justify. No explicit or strongly implied trade opportunities are present. === COMMENTS SUMMARY === The top comments challenge the post’s premise: u/KingOfEthanopia calls calling $100k “high income” in 2026 wild, noting regional cost-of-living differences. u/GurProfessional9534 and u/SnooRevelations979 point out that the lower class is declining and the upper class increasing, framing this as upward mobility rather than middle-class disappearance. u/Brainiacish and u/ChazzyPhizzle question the low income thresholds used ($35k–$100k household), further undermining the post’s credibility.

u/TonyLiberty · Reddit — r/FluentInFinance · May 28, 2026 at 18:44 · ⬆ 193 pts · 💬 128 comments | View on Reddit ↗

AI Summary

Summary

The post argues that inflation is crushing the bottom 80%, with corporate profits at record highs while wages stay flat, leading to the disappearance of the middle class.
Author presents a plot showing middle-income households declining as a share, but top comments note the lower class is also shrinking while the upper class grows – suggesting upward mobility rather than pure decline.
Quality assessment: Speculation with a simplistic narrative; lacks rigorous data or specific investment thesis. The comments provide a strong counter-argument that undermines the author’s doom-and-gloom framing.

Score 193

Comments 128

Upvote % 86%

The middle class is disappearing

Summary

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