The best-case scenario / Katherine S. Newman and Chauncy Lennon -- High flyers, low riders, and the "up but not out" club -- All in the family -- The national picture / Helen Connolly, Peter Gottschalk, and Katherine S. Newman -- Streetwise economics -- Victor Tan Chen and Katherine S. Newman --...

Introduction -- The Power of the Illusion, the Way We Never Were -- The Dream Interrupted, Insecurity Among the Middle-Aged -- Privileged Expectations and Insecure Realities -- The Myth of Equal Opportunity -- Negotiating Uncertainty -- Economic Vulnerability as the New Normal.