Thread: Social Security - Take it or leave it?

mo money, mo problems

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

mo money, mo problems

I'd like to rid you of your problems for no extra charge (you won't have anything left anyway). I'll send you my paypal address

With all due respect I find this to be such a bizarre question. Makes me wonder if we're from the same planet. Thank God that FDR was elected in '32.

Could you imagine if it had been 'W' ? Wait a minute .... he would have bailed out the banks and Wall St. and the great depression might not have happened.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

With all due respect I find this to be such a bizarre question. Makes me wonder if we're from the same planet. Thank God that FDR was elected in '32.

Could you imagine if it had been 'W' ? Wait a minute .... he would have bailed out the banks and Wall St. and the great depression might not have happened.

It's just a question Jimmy, just a question.

As to the answer, personally I'm not sure if I will take the check, assuming of course there is anything to take once I'm eligible.

As I see it, I wouldn't be taking the money back from the government, but from the paychecks of others. Just because others are doing that to me now (via the SSA), I'm not so sure I'd feel comfortable doing the same to others later.

I'm guessing you find that bizarre too.

Originally Posted by honedright

It's just a question Jimmy, just a question.

As to the answer, personally I'm not sure if I will take the check, assuming of course there is anything to take once I'm eligible.

I'm guessing you find that bizarre too.

Well I don't know how many years it will be before the time comes for you to make that decision but I hope that when the time comes you don't need the money.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Well I don't know how many years it will be before the time comes for you to make that decision but I hope that when the time comes you don't need the money.

That's just it Jimmy. What if I do need the money? Do I compromise my morals and just take the money?

I suppose that's where the question came from. I was wondering where others stood on the issue.

Or maybe for others there is no issue.

Originally Posted by honedright

That's just it Jimmy. What if I do need the money? Do I compromise my morals and just take the money?

I suppose that's where the question came from. I was wondering where others stood on the issue.

Or maybe for others there is no issue.

You paid money into the system, I dont see the dilemma.

With the population curves going the way they do, I don't really expect to collect a single red cent from social security when I retire. Remember that you are not really paying for your pension but are actually paying for the pension of the previous generation... if you have more retired people than young active people, you have a problem. To be on the safe side, the good lady wife and myself both have a private pension fund on top of our respective state-run schemes.

However, in the last 8 years, one can't say that those private pension funds have done any better than the state-run ones. Our state-run schemes are heavily invested in T-bonds, which means they actually lost value due to the low USDxEUR/USDxJPY exchange rates. Our private-run schemes were heavily invested in the US real estate market to try and recover from the "dot bomb"... so basically two very hard resets in 8 years on that front.