From the Financial Recovery™ Newsletter:

Two weeks ago, Gerri Detweiler of Credit.com, took a heartbreaking call from a financial planner. The financial planner had been talking with a couple who had come to her with severe financial problems. The husband had lost his job some months earlier and then took a pay cut when he went back to work. They struggled to pay the mortgage and bills for months. They had drained their retirement funds. They were at the end of their ropes financially and emotionally, but couldn't bear the thought of talking with an attorney.

From Martin Siesta's Inside Money Blog:

Much of what I have been hearing and reading from planners is around questions like "What did I miss?" "What if this is different?" It is surrounded by fear and shame. Let's step back.

I want to start off by saying, I believe that this crisis is "different" and it has been coming for a while. While the cost of the "bailout" has been in the headlines, it pales compared to the other debts that will come due all too soon:

I am fascinated by the human mind and our emotions, particularly as they engage money. This blog is based on my financial planning practice, my current research and attempts to understand them.

Let me share my own bias. My fundamental belief system is humanistic in nature. Accordingly, I tend to seek empirical data that embraces the concept of free will or the power of choice. That is my worldview. Generally, it serves me well in both my personal life and my professional services.