> Why would you look at their after tax income when this comes out of their taxes? Every new expense comes out of your savings rate (or your rate in paying off

> Why would you look at their after tax income when this comes out of their taxes? Every new expense comes out of your savings rate (or your rate in paying off principal if you're in debt). To understand "kitchen table economics", you're always better looking at the wealth growth rates (or lack thereof) when trying to weigh how much of a burden something is.