Can you tell me the money amount bracket for the middle class — the lowest to the highest number?

No universal middle-class bracket exists.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income — i.e., the amount at the middle of the range between the extremes of poverty and wealth — in the United States was $53,046 in 2013.

But how you live depends on what you can afford. And what you can afford depends on how big your household is and on how much it costs to live in your area.

For example, though the median household sizes in Lake Charles and Houston are nearly the same, the cost of living, including housing and fuel expenditures, is lower in the former than in the latter — so that $53,046 would go much further here than there.

Additionally, the term “middle class” encompasses a set of beliefs and values, making it even more difficult to align its definition with one income bracket. A U.S. Commerce Department report in 2010 noted that most people surveyed on the subject consider themselves part of the middle class.

“One characteristic that stands out in the literature on the middle class is that middle class families emphasize their expectations about the future; this means they work hard, plan ahead, and expect to save in order to attain those plans,” reads the report, titled “Middle Class in America.”

“Indeed, being middle class may be as much about setting goals and working to achieve them as it is about their actual attainment.”

The report lists several common goals of the middle class: homeownership; one car per adult; college educations for children; health and retirement security; and family vacations.

A final note: The median incomes for Lake Charles and Louisiana, according to the Census Bureau, were $35,981 and $44,874 in 2013.

Online: www.census.gov; www.commerce.gov.

Keep tax records for three years

How long should we keep tax records and other documents?

The Internal Revenue Service suggests you keep income tax records for at least three years.

How long to keep some other documents, according to a page on the federal government’s official Web portal:

Bank statements — Keep for a year.

Contracts — Keep until they’re updated.

Credit card records — Keep until the balance is paid.

Receipts for large purchases — Keep until you sell or discard the item.

Real estate deeds — Keep for as long as you own the property.

Online: www.irs.gov; www.usa.gov

The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.