What do you consider for someone to call themsevles PRO/SEMI-PRO/ETC?

[csg]

So you think 36K$ per year to provide for the family is a lot???!!!

First you have to separate the issues here.

Providing for the family if one has such is the very bottom line that one has to make playing every month. Then we have the pension savings for about 3K per month. I can accept that this could be on the very top, but as you don´t know how long you can work as a professional poker player I think its right to stash away as much as possible in the beginning of the career, say the first 2-4 years.

Regarding the bankroll. I strongly belive that one should regard the poker as a business and every business needs to make profit inorder to be able to invest in future business. But if you are confortable playing 1/2$ NL online and never stepping up its fine. However I think that if I ever was to try to go pro I would like to build my self a bankroll so that I could play on levels very I could make a decent profit every month and maybe not have to put in so many grinding hours as I have to do on lower level.