America’s material wealth is still a very recent phenomenon, and while everyone enjoys a life-standard unimaginable 100 years ago (even the poorest Americans have TV, cell phones, air conditioning, etc...) there are many people who simply don’t save, or make other choices.
A story such as this, should be a wake up call, to manage your life and money wisely.
One guy was a product development manager with McDonald’s? He had to be pulling in some decent pay while he was working. And you wonder how it was he couldn’t get another decent job, even if at lower pay.
Yes I know some people have life crises which get them to such a point in life. My only point is that, hearing such stories, should be a wake up call, to live below your means, save money, avoid credit card debt, avoid risky investments, etc.
And some times you just lose the roll of the dice in a stream of bad luck. The article mentions the real estate crash, recession (where many in their late 50’s and 60’s lost their jobs.) Those are the years when earnings are high and the kids are out of college so you can sock away a lot of money for retirement.