Retirement Targets

isufanz1

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Apr 11, 2006
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Agreed. I don't think it is right that someone can pay in for many years and pass before collecting a dime. Should get some sort of minimum payout to spouse or estate.

Hate that you can have two elderly folk living on the two SS checks and then one passes and the income suddenly drops as the survivor will not still be getting both payments.

You must also hate paying for auto insurance and home insurance. Many people pay 5 to 6 figures over a lifetime and never collect a dime. SS is social insurance.
 
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Stormin

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Unfortunately there are lots of people with money that are that selfish and worse. They are only out for themselves and their own and could care less about others down and out or struggling to get and keep a good job. Since the 80's we have followed the economic code of "Greed is good", its become ingrained in the way of thinking for many at the top and will continue to be so until the rest of us stop fighting over silly issues and start taking serious the war between the wealthy and the rest of us.

Now getting off my soap box, it is very easy to see them raising the age from 62 up to 64 before you can start drawing SS and then increase the age from a full SS retirement. For people born in the 60's that rate is already age 67. They are going to push it out further to say age 68/69. Do not like the idea, but it’s o needgoing to have to be done along with raising or eliminating the cap to keep the money coming in.

No need to raise minimum age to start drawing. 8% per year less. Raise age to 70 and wish to take your benefit at 62 will take 64% reduction in benefit. That leaves you with 36% of your full benefit. Who can do that?
 

DSMCy

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You must also hate paying for auto insurance and home insurance. Many people pay 5 to 6 figures over a lifetime and never collect a dime. SS is social insurance.
Had this discussion with a friend once.
What if we changed SS to instead be a 30 year term life insurance policy?
At age 18 or maybe 25 everyone gets a $1M term life insurance policy. That covers them for most of their life, through kids, home ownership, etc.
Premiums would be much less than SS, probably something like $1000 per year or less for most people.
 

DurangoCy

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Had this discussion with a friend once.
What if we changed SS to instead be a 30 year term life insurance policy?
At age 18 or maybe 25 everyone gets a $1M term life insurance policy. That covers them for most of their life, through kids, home ownership, etc.
Premiums would be much less than SS, probably something like $1000 per year or less for most people.

How does this keep you from starving when you're 75 and can't work?
 

1SEIACLONE

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No need to raise minimum age to start drawing. 8% per year less. Raise age to 70 and wish to take your benefit at 62 will take 64% reduction in benefit. That leaves you with 36% of your full benefit. Who can do that?
You could keep it at 62 and lower the 8% down to maybe 5/6% for those that retire earlier to get their numbers up. If it was up to me, I would keep the age the same and then just take the cap off the top earners, but keep the business side the same, raise the maximum amount to say 10K a month and be done with it. Throw in some type of wealth tax for those that take payment in some other form and that would go a long way to fixing the current system.
 

CycloneSpinning

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SS is insurance. Some people pay in for a short time and have children and then a parent will die. Those children never ever paid in a dime. But those children will get a monthly benefit till they are no longer minors. Disabled children can collect on a parent’s contribution. And IMO that is okay.

Yes. Some people die early and do not collect. It is survivors insurance. Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance.

OASDI. Known as Social Security.
That’s exactly right. I think people need to get away from counting dollars they’ve put in and whether they got out the same or more. If it was there in case you needed it, but you didn’t…it did its job. Money is a tool. Insurance is a tool.
 
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isucy86

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Apr 13, 2006
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Social Security originally was for people to retire at age 65 and not have to live in poverty. The average life expectancy at the time was 61 for males and 65 for females. So most never reached the 65 limit to start drawing or died shortly after. Today the program has been expanded greatly with SSA to include people with handicaps like being deaf and blind, people that have injuries from car wrecks, strokes, heart attacks and a variety of other physical and mental problems. Then all children of a bread winner that has passed away under 18 can also collect a check.

Its a huge system, with the largest segment of the population retired or starting to retire, there just are no enough workers still in the system to keep it from going negative in the next ten years or so if nothing is done.
It's not like the money is there anyhow. Just a bunch of IOU's that the Fed Govt has borrowed against the "trust fund" over the last 50 years.

If SS "goes broke" there will just be an income tax increase to pay benefits and increase in withholding tax from 6.2%. Could also see tax increase or benefit reduction for wealthy. Just a scare tactic that SS benefits won't be there at current levels for 90% of population.
 

Stormin

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It's not like the money is there anyhow. Just a bunch of IOU's that the Fed Govt has borrowed against the "trust fund" over the last 50 years.

If SS "goes broke" there will just be an income tax increase to pay benefits and increase in withholding tax from 6.2%. Could also see tax increase or benefit reduction for wealthy. Just a scare tactic that SS benefits won't be there at current levels for 90% of population.

Not cutting benefits makes the government pay back the money borrowed. Reduces debt. Those Treasury Notes you hold are just IOU’s. I’ll take those worthless pieces of paper off your hands.
 

BCClone

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Not exactly sure.
You could keep it at 62 and lower the 8% down to maybe 5/6% for those that retire earlier to get their numbers up. If it was up to me, I would keep the age the same and then just take the cap off the top earners, but keep the business side the same, raise the maximum amount to say 10K a month and be done with it. Throw in some type of wealth tax for those that take payment in some other form and that would go a long way to fixing the current system.
People who loaded up Roth IRAs would get hammered with the govt going back on the no tax promise with that idea.
 

NWICY

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Speaking about retirement, any suggestions on places to check out? Here are my must haves:

Warm
Low humidity
Somewhat affordable
Within an hour of a decent airport

So far we've checked out:

Palm Springs-Love it, too expensive
San Diego-Love it, WAY too expensive
Phoenix-Suburbs are nice, enjoyed our time there.
Tucson-Really liked Tucson. A little cooler than Phoenix, a lot smaller, a lot more relaxed.
Vegas-Been to Vegas a lot but never any of the suburbs.
St. George-Never been but looks nice
Albuquerque-Never been but my wife didn't seem to love it

I feel like I'm missing some smaller areas but the desert states don't seem to have as many options.

Other options?
Would you consider the pacific Nw warm enough? Oregon coast is not Midwest cold in the winter but definitely chilly sometimes visited it once in a February a few yrs ago.
 

BCClone

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Not exactly sure.
Don't start tax collection till they reach a high number like $5/10 million would solve that problem.
Are you going to hammer trusts also? That is where the large money is. 5MM is not much nowadays for business owners. That level will create a bigger hurdle for small businesses growing.
 

dmclone

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Would you consider the pacific Nw warm enough? Oregon coast is not Midwest cold in the winter but definitely chilly sometimes visited it once in a February a few yrs ago.
I've always dreamed of having a pool, so probably not.
 
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1SEIACLONE

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Are you going to hammer trusts also? That is where the large money is. 5MM is not much nowadays for business owners. That level will create a bigger hurdle for small businesses growing.
I would go after any person or business that is finding a way to avoid paying the tax on what they earn but not taking it as salary. Stock options should be counted just like a paycheck for the purpose of collecting SS tax, would say the same thing about a trust, LLC or any other method used to avoid paying the tax should be looked at.
 

BCClone

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Not exactly sure.
I would go after any person or business that is finding a way to avoid paying the tax on what they earn but not taking it as salary. Stock options should be counted just like a paycheck for the purpose of collecting SS tax, would say the same thing about a trust, LLC or any other method used to avoid paying the tax should be looked at.
Agriculture world would love you. Own a 160 acres, have some reserves built up for bad years, plus your machinery paid off and you get to pay a percentage of that to the government although you would make around 50k/year when you retire and rent it out.
 
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Stormin

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Agriculture world would love you. Own a 160 acres, have some reserves built up for bad years, plus your machinery paid off and you get to pay a percentage of that to the government although you would make around 50k/year when you retire and rent it out.

That has a value of $3 million or so? No wealth tax IMO on that amount. And I think a wealth tax is a bad idea. Tax stock compensation the same as wage compensation. No reason for tax advantages for that. CEO giveaways.
 

yowza

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Jun 2, 2016
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You must also hate paying for auto insurance and home insurance. Many people pay 5 to 6 figures over a lifetime and never collect a dime. SS is social insurance.
Not how it is usually sold to the masses by politicians. Why can't I buy my old age insurance somewhere else then? Let me opt out of the government's old age insurance and let me buy my own.

And why is it just for the genetically lucky?
 
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yowza

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Unfortunately there are lots of people with money that are that selfish and worse. They are only out for themselves and their own and could care less about others down and out or struggling to get and keep a good job. Since the 80's we have followed the economic code of "Greed is good", its become ingrained in the way of thinking for many at the top and will continue to be so until the rest of us stop fighting over silly issues and start taking serious the war between the wealthy and the rest of us.

Now getting off my soap box, it is very easy to see them raising the age from 62 up to 64 before you can start drawing SS and then increase the age from a full SS retirement. For people born in the 60's that rate is already age 67. They are going to push it out further to say age 68/69. Do not like the idea, but its going to have to be done along with raising or eliminating the cap to keep the money coming in.
Greed has been around since the start of life and will be around until the end of it.
 

dmclone

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I find it interesting when people talk about greed. Isn't it greedy for me to ask someone else that makes more than me pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes? I'm middle class, but I'm sure there are people who make less and consider me to be rich and think I should pay more. Is it greedy for a parent to leave their middle income children money when there are poor living on the street? I think everyone is greedy.
 

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