Early in November 2017, Jesse (not her real name) received a call that her husband had passed away. Just a few hours earlier, at around 4am, he had been taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties; she had assumed it was his childhood asthma returning. It turned out to be a heart attack – this despite her husband being 38 years old, in good physical shape (he was even a part-time tennis coach), and with no other health issues. While struggling through the emotional turmoil, Jesse was hit by another bomb just a week later: the bank was calling, and it was regarding an outstanding loan of over $610,000. As the bank officer would soon inform her, Jesse was far from being the only person in this position. While retrenchment or business failures are more common problems, some homeowners may suffer the dual shock of a sole breadwinner or...