This being a presidential campaign year, there is a lot of talk about “American exceptionalism,” a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville about 180 years ago. Over the years, Americans have argued over what makes us all so exceptional.

This week in Life Inc., we added more fodder for debate. According to a study released Tuesday by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the U.S. ranks No. 1 in average household wealth, at $102,000. But when it comes to work-life balance, Americans have a lot of catching up to do. Among the more than 500 reader comments is this exceptional one from Mary Jones-1616541: “Just goes to prove the old saying. Money can't buy you happiness.”

Another Life Inc. post that created a buzz was senior writer Allison Linn’s report about American workers’ satisfaction with their company health plans. It’s the cost, not the availability, of health insurance that is the primary thing keeping workers from getting insured. Ninety percent of uninsured workers said they didn’t have insurance because it was too costly.

We asked our readers if they were happy with their company’s health plan. More than 33,650 of you voted and 50.5 percent said no. Only 32.4 percent of our readers said they were satisfied. And 17.1 percent reported that they don’t have a company health plan.

And, finally, contributing writer Eve Tahmincioglu filed a widely read blog post about a women who claims she was fired from a lingerie shop because she was too hot.  

“When I was first told that I was ‘too hot’ and that my breasts were too large I was shocked,” said Lauren Odes. Her sexy appearance, she said, got her a pink slip from an employer who sells intimate apparel much sexier than your basic slips.

Attorney Gloria Allred, defender of wronged women everywhere, held a news conference.

We asked our readers whether they thought Odes was a victim of discrimination, and nearly 60 percent of you said no.

Have you ever had enough of the grind, and dreamed of chucking it all and live off the grid? No bills. No tax man. No boss. And no money.

Daniel Suelo did exactly that. Twelve years ago, Suelo had $30 to his name. He left it in a phone booth and walked away from normal society. He actually quit using money and appears relatively happy.

Our readers had a lot to say about this story. (Note to some of our readers: Not everything is about Obamacare. Really. Sometimes a story is just a story.)

“There's nothing wrong with being a little more self-sustaining and a little less consumer oriented. Few of us could do what Mr. Suelo has done, but I think his goal has some admirable qualities,” wrote one reader.

But another reader wrote: “Call it what you will but until he stops scrounging through societies leavings and accepting its charity he hasn't dropped out of anything. He's sponging, pure and simple.”

For the rest of us, working and making money is a fact of life. And Allison Linn’s story about the rising retirement age struck a chord. According to a Gallup poll, the average age at which Americans expect to retire is now 67. That’s up significantly from 1996, when people expected to retire at age 60.

We asked our readers to vote on their retirement expectations, and more than 22,000 responded: 50.3 percent of you said you expect to retire later than you thought and 17.5 percent of you thought you’d work until you died. Yikes.

The concept of retirement is an abstract one for most teenagers. Just getting employment is a struggle for most teens. Another Allison Linn story said that only about 25 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds currently are working, a drop of 10 percentage points from just five years ago, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Our readers had a lot to say about this disappointing trend, too. “I just feel like if people spent as much time looking for a job as they do complaining, they would be far better off,” wrote one reader.