Previous studies have documented that adolescents who are oriented toward the future more than the present tend to have better life outcomes in adulthood. However, little is known about whether and to what extent adults’ future- versus present-oriented perspectives are related to their childhood conditions and adulthood socioeconomic status attainment and how personal education channels this mechanism. Analyzing longitudinal Midlife in United States data, we find that childhood conditions and educational attainment matters: adults from more stable childhood backgrounds (e.g., better socioeconomic conditions in childhood) tend to show more future-oriented than present-oriented perspectives compared to those who grew up in less stable childhood conditions, although these disparities are largely explained by one’s education. Additionally, we find that placing greater importance on the future than the present does not always result in better achievement. While the socioeconomic benefit of holding more future-oriented perspectives exists among adults from advantaged childhood socioeconomic backgrounds, we find that focusing more on the present than the future is equally beneficial for those from less advantaged childhood backgrounds. These findings suggest that different mechanisms may work to reward the future- versus present-oriented perspectives of those from different childhood backgrounds.