I strongly agree there is a serious issue with ex-pats returning home to find there is next to nothing available for them AND actually joking aside can find themselves 'homeless' in that they may find out they have no recent references, no contacts, no verifiable company and quite serious have difficulty renting an apartment (this actually almost happened to me.. i had a real hard time).

Having said that. Its not at all unusual for me to meet ex-pats teaching in China who have banked reasonably decent money to pillow the landing back home.

The reason you very often see expats with zero (or just enough to get home + a hamburger) is very often more of their choice in living. They don't want to save, they are enjoying the income as it comes and goes. If they find out they have 3000 rmb leftover at the end of the month they choose to take that Thailand vacation. And good for them I guess.

One of the young guys i met spent every dime he made (plus anything left in his Canadian bank account) and maybe worse turned out blew his student loan money as well (so now in bad debt) and skimped home with quite seriously zero money, showed up at parents house and was just lucky to scrounge a day labourer job. Sad story? Stupid guy? Truth is he couldn't tell me the story without a big satisfied "it was worth it all" grin on his face. He saw the world, had amazing adventures, had a lifetime of memories. For him it was worth it -including living in his parents basement and cleaning up construction junk for minimum wage.

So good for him I say. He won.