In factoring the over abundance of information to share from both Bridges and Getting Ahead, I will take a step back and begin with a simple question, "Could you survive?"  The following is an excerpt to put into perspective the economic lens for which you look through. 
**In after testing your knowledge, I would love to hear comments of any thoughts you had.**

Test Your Knowledge of the Hidden Rules of Class

How well could you survive?

People who grow up in poverty learn different things from people who grow up wealthy or in middle class. But most schools and businesses operate with middle-class norms, and most teachers and business people grew up learning the hidden rules of middle-class families. It’s no surprise, then, that children of poverty often struggle in education and business environments.

In her book A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Dr. Ruby K. Payne presents lists of survival skills needed by different societal classes. Test your skills by answering the following:

Could you survive in poverty? Check each item that

applies:

I know how to ...

_____ find the best rummage sales.

_____ locate grocery stores’ garbage bins that have thrown-away food.

_____ bail someone out of jail.

_____ physically fight and defend myself.

_____ get a gun, even if I have a police record.

_____ keep my clothes from being stolen at the laundromat

_____ sniff out problems in a used car.

_____ live without a checking account.

_____ manage without electricity and a phone.

_____ entertain friends with just my personality and stories.

_____ get by when I don’t have money to pay the bills.

_____ move in half a day.

_____ get and use food stamps.

_____ find free medical clinics.

_____ get around without a car.

_____ use a knife as scissors

Could you survive in middle class? Check each item

that applies.

I know how to ...

_____ get my children into Little League, piano lessons, and soccer.

_____ set a table properly.

_____ find stores that sell the clothing brands my family wears.

_____ order comfortably in a nice restaurant.

_____ use a credit card, checking and/or savings account.

_____ evaluate insurance: life, disability, 20/80 medical, homeowners, and personal-property.

_____ talk to my children about going to college.

_____ get the best interest rate on my car loan.

_____ explain the differences among the principal, interest, and escrow statements on my house payment.

_____ help my children with homework and don’t hesitate to make a call if I need more information.

_____ decorate the house for each holiday.

_____ get a library card.

_____ use the different tools in the garage.

_____ repair items in my house almost immediately after they break, or I know a repair service and call it.

Could you survive in wealth?

Check each item if you …

_____ can read a menu in French, English and another language.

_____ have favorite restaurants in different countries around the world.

_____ know how to hire a professional decorator to help decorate your home during the holidays.

_____ can name your preferred financial advisor, lawyer, designer, hairdresser and domestic- employment service.

_____ have at least two homes that are staffed and maintained.

_____ know how to ensure confidentiality and loyalty with domestic staff.

_____ use two or three “screens” that keep people whom you don’t wish to see away from you.

_____ fly in your own plane, the company plane, or the Concorde.

_____ know how to enroll your children in the preferred private schools.

_____ are on the boards of at least two charities.

_____ know the hidden rules of the Junior League.

_____ support or buy the work of a particular artist.

_____ know how to read a corporate balance sheet and analyze your own financial statements.