That is, I question if it is correct to judge a person’s wealth based solely on his/her yearly income. Because these were older neighborhoods, my guess would be that many of the homes occupied by owner were paid for or nearly paid for. Many property owners had begun to make or had completed enhancements and improvements — new electrical, plumbing, additions, etc. Even those still making mortgage payments were most likely making much smaller payments than those who live in newer areas of the city.

I guess what I’m trying to get at is the definition of poor and wealthy. Is the person who makes $100,000 per year and spends 80 percent of that on various payments more wealthy than the person who makes $50,000 per year and has committed only 50 percent? Is a person who makes $25,000 per year, but has lived sparingly and accumulated savings and retirement accounts considered to be poverty stricken? What about the person who makes $30,000 per year but has sacrificed for years in order to purchase his/her own home and now lives without a mortgage payment?

Instead of making this correlation between poor and wealthy, I think the information would have been much more useful — and much more true to life — if the group would have researched which families lost their largest investment and how difficult it will be for those families to replace or repair that investment.

That is, I question if it is correct to judge a person's wealth based solely on his/her yearly income. Because these were older neighborhoods, my guess would be that many of the homes occupied by owner were paid for or nearly paid for. Many property owners had begun to make or had completed enhancements and improvements — new electrical, plumbing, additions, etc. Even those still making mortgage payments were most likely making much smaller payments than those who live in newer areas of the city.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is the definition of poor and wealthy. Is the person who makes $100,000 per year and spends 80 percent of that on various payments more wealthy than the person who makes $50,000 per year and has committed only 50 percent? Is a person who makes $25,000 per year, but has lived sparingly and accumulated savings and retirement accounts considered to be poverty stricken? What about the person who makes $30,000 per year but has sacrificed for years in order to purchase his/her own home and now lives without a mortgage payment?

Instead of making this correlation between poor and wealthy, I think the information would have been much more useful — and much more true to life — if the group would have researched which families lost their largest investment and how difficult it will be for those families to replace or repair that investment.