ion per year, then unexpectedly cut him of after 3 years. Most of his money is gone and he is left unemployed with few marketable skills and sizable house and/or car, and/or boat and/or whatever loan.

They are not too different from most people. The majority of people live near the edge of their income. One semester in college, I lived off $40 worth of food per month. Now my grocery bill is probably 10X that (admittedly, I have a family to feed, but they don't eat THAT much).

One of the biggest differences is that most people have sustainable levels of income. Even if I get fired, I can fairly easily get another job making at least 75% of my current income. Most people can do the same. Most professional athletes can't. Even 5% would be a stretch for many.