“The top financial obstacles people listed were, in order: the rising cost of living, health insurance or medical expenses, mortgage payments, debt, and fuel and energy costs.”

None of these really apply to my brother who just turned 57.

He was out of work for 6 weeks over christmas due to a back injury, he’s declared bankruptcy in the last few years because he owed about $40k in CC debt he had no hope of ever repaying.

But somehow he thought it was a good idea to buy not one but TWO flatscreen tv’s in the last few months (one for the bedroom and one for the living room). Wants to get himself a blueray player next and he needs a new entertainment center as his new flatscreen is sitting ghetto style on TOP of his current entertainment center with the old tv still in it.

That and he’s been sinking ever larger amounts of money into his coffee addiction for multiple espresso machines, coffee grinders and drip coffee makers, as well as outfitting himself with and ever growing roasting setup. But he’ll tell you he’s saving money on coffee.

Oh, and he has $0 in the bank, doesn’t own anything (except a 10 year old car that needs to be replaced) and has no pension–nada.