I agree that sometimes people experience hardships in their life that are beyond their control which lead to financial problems. I am especially sympathetic if this happens to someone in the first half of their working life, while they are struggling to save and get ahead. Obvious examples are medical issues, serious injuries, or other unforseen catastrophic events. It is certainly much easier to be financially successful if you are fortunate enough to avoid such potentially catastrophic events.
However, it seems to me that in most cases, these events are rare, and the more common scenario which leads to financial trouble is simply someone who lives above their means. Unfortunately, people who live above their means usually get by as long as they don't experience any setbacks, and as soon as a setback comes along (such as a job loss, illness, injury, divorce, death of a family member, etc), they are pushed over the edge and then they blame the setback as the cause and claim that they are a victim of their circumstances, while ignoring the fact that they were living above their means and living on the edge and making themselves vulnerable to financial ruin in the process. What these people don't understand or refuse to accept is that if you LBYM and you experience a setback or acatastrophic event, you are much more likely to avoid financial ruin by proper planning and savings and insurance.
