the well-to-do

Elite institutions of higher education were essentially finishing schools for the well-to-do and well-connected: however neutral the letter of the admissions requirements, the “competition” between the Kennedys and the Bridgeses of the world had been won well in advance.

“The finances of the well-to-do have never been better, their spending never stronger, and the economy never more dependent on that group,” Zandi told WSJ.

The well-to-do and resourceful residents of Palisades are important to the city’s tax base and cultural life, but they have options, he said.

She met "people of all ages, from all classes, the well-to-do, the middle class and the poor".

Ms. Abraham, 34, Ms. Sage and the chief executive, Aleen Dreksler, both 35, have known one another since they were fifth graders in the well-to-do Long Island suburb of Roslyn.