This post is part of The Yachtless’ #pfmessages linkup
Spoiler Alert: This post gives away at least part of the Breaking Bad plot. If you haven’t seen it yet I would recommend bookmarking this post and coming back to it once you finish. It only took me a month or two of binge-watching to finish the entire series, so I’m sure you’ll be back in no time to find out what the show was truly all about.
If you’ve seen the show Breaking Bad you know the show is about a high-school science teacher who was diagnosed with cancer. To make sure his family would be financially secure he took it upon himself to cook large quantities of meth. And why not? After all, Walter White had a phd in chemistry and could cook the best meth that ever existed.
What I want to propose today is that the show isn’t about drugs, the drug business, or even about meth. Instead it’s about something different. I’ll explain soon.
The show has a lot of twists and turns and the character development was incredible. I think one reason the show was so successful was because the plot – or at least most of the plot – seemed fairly plausible. People could imagine Breaking Bad the story as if it was something that could actually happen. It also took someone who was the definition of “normal” and turned them into someone who had more money than he knew what to do with.
It’s a dark show, though. A man who was by all accounts an upstanding human being was put in a situation where he was willing to do something illegal if it meant that his family would be secure. It takes a man who is desperate and forces him to do things that he would never have done. People died and lives were ruined.
That underlying fact – that Walter was put in a situation where he was desperate to make as much money as possible as quicly as possible – is vital to understanding Breaking Bad.
I propose that the show Breaking Bad is actually about life insurance.
Think about it.
Had Walter taken out a large life insurance policy prior to finding out he had cancer, he wouldn’t have had to worry about his family’s financial security.
With a large life insurance policy in hand there’s really only two ways the situation would have played out:
- If the cancer caused him to pass away prematurely, his family would receive compensation through his life insurance policy
- If he was able to overcome the cancer and continue to live, he would be able to work and provide for his family.
If Walter had life insurance there would be no plot. It would just be a man who was diagnosed with cancer…fighting cancer. That’s it. No drug lords. No cooking in the desert. None of it.
You could say that Walter was someone who was burdened with the fact that he could have been a multi-millionaire through the business he co-founded had he not sold out for a few thousands dollars in the early days of the business. Instead he was a high school chemistry teacher who worked at the car wash part-time.
That feeling of under-achievement alone likely wouldn’t have pushed him to become a meth cook. After all, if that were true he would have already become a meth cook years earlier. What he needed was financial desperation. If he had a large life insurance policy he wouldn’t have had the financial desperation that is essential for the plot of Breaking Bad.
If you don’t have life insurance, I highly recommend checking out Policy Genius for a quick online quote.
What do you think of my theory? When watching the show did you ever think about how it would have played out differently if Walter had just taken out a life insurance policy before getting diagnosed with cancer?
Check out some of our favorite personal finance resources:
Are you getting the best credit card rewards? Check out the top cash back credit card offers (updated daily)
Make extra money: 15 ways to make money from your computer
Get the First Chapter Free!
Join our online community and get the first chapter of the book Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE!
Spot on DC! The other thing that the show demonstrates is how an unhealthy relationship with money can lead to ruin your most important relationships (family and friends) and start undesirable ones (bill collectors, pay day loans staff).
So true! But, it was a much more interesting show without the life insurance ;). It was tragic though to see him ruin his family in pursuit of money. His motivations certainly changed from wanting to provide for his family to seeking notoriety and more money than they could spend.
Love this theory. But, I respectfully disagree. I think when he was faced with death, he was less concerned about providing for his family and more concerned with finding fulfillment. He had wasted his life as a high school teacher and family man and he never really lived the life he wanted – he was just going through the motions. As the show went on, we saw him become more and more selfish and his family was barely a thought in his mind. And as he stated on the wonderful finale, “I did it for me.”
Life and health insurance, right? I can’t remember, but I think they had a problem with health insurance too. They couldn’t afford the treatments that he needed and they were hundreds of thousands of dollars. He didn’t want to leave his family with all that debt.
Hahah! This is great. Love the show and the comparison. Not only that, but it reminds me of the importance of getting life insurance if you have private student loans. It’s so sad when I read about parents who owe thousands immediately when a child unexpectedly dies and they didn’t have life insurance on them.
Ha ha, this is awesome! I’ve not seen the show, though do plan on watching it at some point. I can definitely see how you could draw those comparisons, though I wonder if the writers of the show were angling for the life insurance route. ;)
oh yeah, just insurance in general. Forgo insurance and you’ll wind up cooking meth- or becoming a prostitute, haha
Ha ha ha…as someone who is a HUGE proponent of life insurance, I can’t believe I never thought about this before. But it reminds me that I think you haven’t gotten yours yet, so you I hope you do soon before I read about a personal finance blogger cooking up meth in Minnesota. :-)
Maybe, but when he first went in for treatment, his insurance did not cover the doctor and plan of therapy that was the best. He paid this with meth money and told his wife it was borrowed from those rich friends he sold out to in college. I think there are so many interesting takes on Walter White. That really is what makes an amazing show, the fact that we’re still talking about it long after the last episode aired.
haha, nice. Say my name.
You’re so right. Walter’s reason for cooking method all comes back to taking care of his family after his inevitable death. If he had taken out life insurance, it wouldn’t be necessary.
Thanks for pointing that out.
If they had a large Emergency Fund, $1 million in his 401k and a good Term Life policy, Breaking Bad would have been just a bit more on the boring side. :-) I like it. It was one of my favorite shows ever. The Walking Dead is a virtual tie.
I think it was about both life insurance and health insurance. His health insurance didn’t cover all of his cancer treatments. Great post!
I would have to go with health insurance as it was his crappy insurance that didn’t cover his treatments. He had to find a way to pay for it and then meth was the call. Yes, if he had good life insurance, maybe he wouldn’t have done anything. Either way, I just finished binge-watching the show and it was awesome. Nice way to pull it into personal finance DC!
True, having life insurance and better health insurance would have made things much easier for Walter. Of course, the show would have been pretty boring. For me the show was more psychological. Walter had spend most of his adult life in a dormant state and after to cancer diagnosis he finally had an awakening. Such a great show. I really miss it.
I never saw this show. I lean more toward sitcoms. You make it sound fascinating though and I really don’t mind spoilers, soooooooooooooooo, it’s in the queue now! :)
I haven’t seen the show, but I’ve heard plenty about it :-). I think you’re spot on, but also that Practical Cents is right – that would have made for a boring show! I definitely makes you think about what you would be willing to do for your family.
debt debs Yeah I think there is a lot of takeaways from the show. Part of it is Walt’s desire for fulfillment and how he goes about finding that (namely money and respect BECAUSE of money).
Mrs. Frugalwoods It really was a tragic story. I agree though that it would not have been nearly as interesting if he did have life insurance.
The Barefoot Budgeter You have a good point, but he may have never found himself in the business of “cooking” if he had the financial resources to provide for his family. That’s a big reason he wanted to accumulate a lot of money very quickly (at least initially). I agree that his motivations changed and morphed, but he may have never gotten to that point if he had life insurance. He would have been cured of cancer and lived on.
Holly at ClubThrifty Well there’s two pieces to that. I may have to go back and check, but from my understanding the hundreds of thousands in treatment were due to him going out of network. This was probably pre-PPACA so I can’t blame the writers if they did write in the storyline that his insurance would pay for nothing. One thing to factor in, though, is he would NOT leave his family with debt if he had life insurance, since it would cover that debt.
theFinancegirl I agree 100% with you. Student loans are a big reason that people should have life insurance, especially if you have a co-signer (which most do). I’m glad you enjoyed the post! I’ve been planning on writing it for months and months now and finally got around to it.
FrugalRules I hope I didn’t ruin the show for you! It was a *bit* of a spoiler but didn’t give away the whole show. I’d avoid some of the other comments on this post, though, because they definitely give away bigger portions of the storyline.
brokeandbeau Haha these are extreme examples for sure, but they illustrate a good point. It’s essential to get coverage because it can really save you if you find yourself in a desperate situation.
blonde_finance I’m surprised you didn’t either! I was surprised no one else had written about this, to be honest. My sister and I have joked in the past about this because my Dad is a phd in chemistry!
Eyesonthedollar I’d have to go back and check how the health insurance worked, but from my understanding he chose to go an “out of network” route and that’s why he got stuck with so many bills. I definitely think there is a lot that can be taken from the show.
John Green Exactly! That’s why I think if he had life insurance coverage he would have been far less likely to go down the road he went.
bloomwcjkl Haha yes it would have been a very boring show indeed. Ah I’m not a fan of The Walking Dead. Watched the first episode or two and couldn’t get into it. I just don’t like the whole zombie theme.
SenseofCents Yeah the health insurance thing is something I’d have to go look at in more detail. I thought his insurance didn’t cover the out of network treatments he wanted, but DID cover in network treatment. Not sure.
DebtRoundUp If he had life insurance, though, his family would not have his health insurance debt. But if he lived on he could pay off the debt slowly over time (yes it would be a lot, but he’d still be alive so I don’t think he’d mind). I also am uncertain how much detail they went into as far as what his in-network options were for cancer treatment. It was all prior to the ACA passing so it’s kind of a dated aspect of the show.
Practical Cents Yes, there are definitely other good takeaways from the show. The psychological aspect that they layered into the show was incredible.
kay at frugalvoices Good to hear! I’m glad I didn’t give away too much of the show. Avoid the rest of the comments on this post, though, until you’ve watched the whole series!
RetiredBy40 Haha yes, I don’t think the show would have happened if Walt had life insurance. It’s interesting how the show morphed from taking care of his family to a more selfish ambition on Walt’s part.
After four episodes, I stopped watching, as I couldn’t get into the show. I do vaguely remember something about his health insurance being lackluster, as others have pointed out, but I like the conclusion you came to. There are so many things we can relate personal finance tenets to, and I’m always amazed at the ways others make those connections!
You are right in a sense but when you consider that some insurance companies make you pay extremely high premiums when you have an illness or won’t even accept you when your ill then you would be incorrect. Also walter wanted his family set for life with millions of dollars and once he began making meth and bringing in the cash he had loved who he had become and loved the money! I have seen every episode of Breaking Bad twice, love that show!
I have heard so much about this show and need to watch it. Right now prime-time viewing has to be child- friendly and my understanding is Breaking Bad is more for adults. While I haven’t personally known anyone to cook meth so their family is financially stable after their death, people will do crazy things to protect their family. Maybe the next time someone balks at discussing their life insurance need, I should refer to them to this show. :)
DC @ Young Adult Money That’s true – the Walt of day one was very different than the Walt he was at the end. Either way, great tie-in :)
I LOVE your theory, haha!! Totally right – had he just taken out a life insurance policy there would be no show. That aside, though, the show does prove that if you put your mind to something you can accomplish it (of course, hopefully you will choose to pursue something legal, lol). Great post!! My husband and I love that show and are about to watch it again from the beginning…because, well why not?!
Your theory doesn’t sound like it would be as interesting of a show, however. LOL. :)
Erin @ Journey to Saving The health insurance issue is definitely dated. I think the show was “Pre-ACA” in which everyone has a minimum standard of health insurance that has to be included in every single plan. With that being said, he wouldn’t have to worry about leaving his family tons of medical bills if he had life insurance. It would certainly cover those bills.
Funky Frugal Mommy It’s true, the first season was “Pre-ACA” when people’s health insurance wasn’t at a set minimum. When you have cancer the premium and deductible are hardly material, though. Cancer treatment is what makes EVERYONE’s insurance expensive, though it’s obviously needed.
I agree that his motivations changed, but he might not have gone down that road if he had a million dollar life insurance policy.
ShannonRyan Haha you should! Or even better, send them to my post ;) But I hear you about needing child-friendly shows. This is definitely not something you want your kids to be watching, that’s for sure.
DebtChronicles You’re absolutely right! It would not be an interesting show, or a show at all. But it’s an important takeaway!
Sarah Brooks I don’t think you are the only one who is going to watch the show twice! At least one other person in the comments said they’ve seen every episode twice.
The Barefoot Budgeter DC @ Young Adult Money There’s so many takeaways from Breaking Bad it’s crazy. I think the character development of Walt is one of the best character developments I’ve ever seen in a TV series.
This is true but if you look back at the beginning of the show they could hardly even pay the bills they had and had a surprise baby on the way, he wouldn’t be able to afford high premiums which is the whole reason meth was the easy way. A lot of people out there can’t even afford an extra $25 a month and are struggling to live daily, never mind paying into life insurance that he may or may not need right away.
Funky Frugal Mommy You clearly paid attention when you watched the show, but I STILL think that if he had life insurance – even if it meant looking for a higher-paying job to make it more affordable, he wouldn’t have found himself in that situation. Obviously I’m being forced to defend this theory ;)
I caught a glimpse of this post the other day but had to click away until now as I was two episodes away from the end of season 5! Just finished watching it and I must admit, I was hooked! Life insurance would surely have solved the problem that Walt had.
However, I think he felt a lot of injustice in his life because of the lack of money and he placed the love of money above everything else in the end. So many takeaways from that show – for me – it’s the concept that the love of money can lead to very bad things…! Best to be happy with what you’ve got.
debtfreeoneday I agree there are definitely some other big takeaways from the show, such as feeling like you got jipped in life and were entitled to something better. Thanks for coming back and commenting!
Nice! I like it! Hidden messages indeed. :) I think this interpretation stands up just as well as any other. It’s true — he didn’t start cooking meth until he felt he had to out of desperation. Do they mention life insurance (or lack thereof) in the show, or allude to it at all?
And yeah, it also speaks to the fear and helplessness that money problems (or the potential for future money problems) can cause in people. Money can truly be a very powerful force.
Awesome analysis! Breaking Bad was the show that I wanted to write about for #pfmessages, but you beat me to it! I don’t think I was going for the whole life insurance angle though ;) I’m glad Walter didn’t have life insurance because then we wouldn’t have had one of the greatest shows ever!
I would have to say health insurance is a big part of Walt’s decision, pre-ACA or not. Co-pays can be very high even if you stay in-network. At my work, we’ve had 2 different insurance companies. With one HMO, it costed $1,500 for a hospital stay. The other HMO had a $200 co-pay for hospitalization. Big difference.
Another thing you may not know (and most people don’t) is that experimental drugs and treatments take a long time to get approval, even if it’s already approved in other countries and shown to work. My son was able to go on a clinical trial to get a medication that has been successfully used in Europe for at least 7 years (and is also approved in South America and Japan). It made a miraculous difference. Fortunately we live in a big city with top-rated hospitals and found out about this medication and clinical trial. I connected with parents who had to fly in to get that same treatment. In other words, the decision to go out of network for unapproved or experimental treatments is not a black and white issue.