> Being poor means you have no cushion. Particularly if you are poor in an urban/suburban area. You are one unfortunate event away from being wiped out. I thin

> Being poor means you have no cushion. Particularly if you are poor in an urban/suburban area. You are one unfortunate event away from being wiped out. I think there is a more important distinction; really, one that is more valuable than any reasonable amount of saved money is. Family with the resources to support a person. I mean, most of the time, if you come from a middle-class family, you can't remain dependent forever, but you do have a place to stay while you get back on your feet, and you have a network of people who know people who can get you interviews for decent jobs. I think this is a bigger advantage than it would seem at first glance; bankruptcy is dramatically less frightening if you know that worst-case, you can sleep at your parent's place, eat their food, and that they'll be calling all their contacts trying to get you an interview.