I thought that the point of the article was that he was reflecting on wealth, and answering his children in such a way that they did not walk around like privil

I thought that the point of the article was that he was reflecting on wealth, and answering his children in such a way that they did not walk around like privileged gits, while still being truthful. Comfortable is also my answer that I've prepared for the same question. I'm considerably less wealthy than OP, I suspect, but, supposing things continue roughly as they have been, my child will never really know hunger or want. We are _comfortable_. Which, in my understanding of my religion, gives us an obligation to help the less comfortable and to never take our assets for granted. The distinction between rich and wealth that you point out is, I think, astute - it's something like the difference between poverty and being broke. For some of us, it's a state of being, for others, it is temporary.