I’m a web developer. I own my house, but am still paying the mortgage. (So I guess I don’t technically fully own it yet.) I’m in a decent position financially at the moment - my income exceeds my expenses. Still, I’ve had some big financial hits recently ($3,600 for hearing aids for me, $1,000+ for tests to rule out cancer for my wife, $750 for a new dryer when our old one died, the potential new car that I might need to buy,…).

So while I’m able to keep my head above water, financially, I’m not able to put enough away to secure my retirement. Also, one big adverse event (medical crisis, job loss with unsuccessful job search, etc) and my current financial state could go from “decent in the short term” to “drowning in debt.”