How can a society increasingly defined by inequality and competition still meet the individual claim to life opportunities? And how can the broad middle class be engaged in such an endeavor? The middle class? That actually represents (still) most of us - yet this group is under increasing pressure. It is shrinking, facing growing inequalities, and experiencing the commercialization of many areas of life. Trust in collective upward mobility is a thing of the past, and status anxiety is on the rise. Steffen Mau succinctly compiles findings and perspectives on the transformation of the middle. He presents an alternative to the unequal distribution of opportunities and the pervasive uncertainty: the life opportunity credit, a cushion we could use to further our education, mitigate social risks, or gain time for caregiving and education.