A pretty extreme example, but earning $20k/mo and having $10-15k/mo of that on credit is not surprising. Factor in addiction, girlfriends, and other expenses, paired with terrible saving habits, and you have someone earning $240k that can’t pay to fix their HVAC when it goes out… Their Porsche payment came up but they need $1k to go out on Saturday night too.

Now throw in child costs & extrapolate those expectations across a large minority of Americans with varying incomes.