> A higher disposable income does not necessarily lead to a higher discretionary income. If the non-discretionary costs (food, shelter, etc.) are higher than el

> A higher disposable income does not necessarily lead to a higher discretionary income. If the non-discretionary costs (food, shelter, etc.) are higher than elsewhere, discretionary income could actually be lower than in other countries with lower disposable income. It doesn't necessarily, but it turns out that it does in this case, because the US does have a higher discretionary income than any other OECD country (and is below the median and well below the mean in household debt as well.