[RiverStone]

At a high income level, you should have more buffer for life’s events if you’ve made good decisions in your life. Generally speaking.

For example, that mortgage, did you stretch the very limit of your income or did you buy something reasonable?

Nobody forced you to buy a house, you could also rent or commute longer.

I lived in a crappy rental for five years and commuted and was able to fully pay off my student loans at the beginning of my career. As an example

Education debt can be put on forbearance or deferment under many life circumstances.

Given high income level, you also have many options available to you like personal loans.

[foco_tubi]

Without assuming the specifics as you do, it’s possible and entirely believable that any buffer was wiped out by the husband’s business. Access to credit could also be affected.

As long as we’re throwing anecdotes, access to forbearance and deferment is shaky at best. I’ve personally had inconsistent success across various income levels.

[broadsidepicnic]

yeah well I make top 1% of income earners in my country, but yet I don't have any liquid(able) assets worth high five figures. House, if I'd sell it, would likely be worth less than I paid for it before pandemic. I couldn't really pay for lets say $200k treatment for next week. It might be the string that broke camel's back, a sinkhole I could never climb out of.

[trymas]

This take makes my blood boil.

They had the buffer! She’s top level medical doctor with top health insurance for her family, shelling out who knows how many thousands of dollars a month for it.

Those payments must have covered them, but they were denied instead.

American health insurance is a total scam.

UPDATE: also a minor proof in the days of wealth accumulation to the top 0.00001%, that (seemingly) wealthy Californian doctors and entrepreneurs are much much closer to bankruptcy than many of us could think.