168k isn’t really alot to live in DC or almost anywhere on the east coast. I think I read that Tony has college age kids so tuition might be a huge expense too along with health concerns. I’m hoping maybe some publishing house will give him a gigantic advance on a future book he may write and he could continue to the end of the term.
As someone who lives on the East Coast (NY), makes over 100K, rents a studio apartment because it's all I can afford and can't even THINK of buying something in which to live, even in a "meh" neighbhorhood, because the prices are so high ($269,000 for the crappiest of one bedroom co-op/condos, plus $600 a month in common charges), I just wanted to say: you're exactly right. Live in one of the major cities on the East Coast - NY, Boston, or DC (Philly is somewhat less expensive) and your financial calculus is entirely different than it is in most of the country. THat's just the way it is. $168,000 when fighting advanced cancer (my parents have Medicare plus the very best of govt medical insurance as a secondary policy and when my Mom had cancer there were tons of affiliated, non-covered costs that quickly added up) and especially with three kids heading to college would be really financially scary if you lived in DC.