Well, three types on my licence at the moment, all paid by those I fly for, no bonds at all, ever. I have one class rating I pay for, though I charge $450 a day for the odd bit of work I do on it, but it’s mostly for fun.
I’d say: get clever, be bold, do deals. If we all did that, we’d all be happier and wealthier. But there are many who aren’t clever, or bold, or capable of doing deals.