Asset poverty is a measure of absolute poverty that considers assets beyond income. Conventionally, asset poverty is defined as having insufficient net worth – this includes savings and durable assets, such as a home or business – to cover three months of living expenses without an income. Looking beyond more than just income is argued to be useful because without assets such as savings an economic emergency such as a hospital bill is likely to cause serious hardship even if income can usually cover basic needs. Additionally, asset poor families are less likely to have a 'springboard into the middle class' because they have less assets to improve their lot even if their income helps them survive. Other measures of absolute poverty without using a certain dollar amount include the standard defined as receiving less than 80 percent of minimum caloric intake whilst spending more than 80% of income on food, sometimes called ultra-poverty.