Probably the latter, I've forgotten what it means to live a miserable existence. I grew up in a family of four with a combined income of $30k, which linearly gr

Probably the latter, I've forgotten what it means to live a miserable existence. I grew up in a family of four with a combined income of $30k, which linearly grew over 15 years to $100k and plateaued while I was in high school. It wasn't miserable, but I was sheltered by my parents. Bills were stressful. While I was in law school and my girlfriend was in medical school, we were pretty damn broke and racking up debt. That was miserable. Fast forward. I start working, and she is a resident. We're making $200k combined and it's a struggle. Student loan debt allowed us to realize these salaries, but they also inhibit financial growth. Trust me, there were no luxurious purchases or apartments. And then ... I brokered a deal that netted me 8-figures and paid off all debt, bought a house, etc. The end. For others making $200k while paying off student loan debt, the struggle is real. You'd be able to considering focusing on retirement after 10, 15, or even 30 years of student loan repayment. But I figure that the LAST thing a person would want to do is willingly continue to divert large sum of income to future financial well being after so many years of pinching.