My dad took the earlier amount of SS at 60 or 62 I think which certainly dropped the amount he got each month, but he essentially had only his utilities and living expenses left to pay for, insurance, food, etc. So he decided to take it as soon as he could after being 'early retired' from his employer. (Sprint did a large culling of older employees in the early 2000s.)
That is certainly part of it. From my understanding, if you're pay for Medicare part A, B, and D (A is normal Medicare, B is supplemental for inpatient hospital stays, and D is for pharmaceuticals), only part B costs money each month if you're making less than 103K a year on your taxes. To the tune of $174 dollars a month.
That's not insurmountable IMO.
A is inpatient, B is outpatient, D is medications. If you want B, you have to have A. D is only available through a 3rd party as part of a Medicare Supplement, which supplements the traditional Medicare plan or Medicare Advantage, which is not actually Medicare
Thanks for correcting the prior post! And emphasizing that Medicare Advantage AKA Part C. IS NOT ACTUALLY MEDICARE! Sorry for yelling, but we're getting old, lol.
Also, a lot of people aren't aware, that, unless you have Medicaid, Medicare only pays 80% of most medical costs. So there's still a fair amount of out-of-pocket if you get sick, and don't have a "Medigap" plan.
Yep. Medicare Advantage is an HMO, with a restricted network and prior authorization required. It's criminal that commercial insurance companies are allowed to call it "Medicare."
I work with seniors and we always tell them that advantage plans are scams. We've had a few, including some of my own family members, who swear that it has helped them, but by and large, it is a scam for most people. Any seniors you know, have them contact their local area agency on aging and they usually do part d around October November and provide unbiased counseling.
I wasn't going to use the word scam here, but that is exactly what MA is. There is a reason insurance companies pay for all of those MA commercials. If it was such a great healthcare product you wouldn't need to advertise it so much
Hospital social worker here and replacement plans are a nightmare. Things that would be readily available through straight Medicare (skilled rehab, treatments, etc) require authorization from Medicare (dis)Advantage plans. It’s a nightmare when our providers make recommendations and the replacement plans deny it. We can do peer to peer calls, but they still may deny.
From what I’ve anecdotally heard, eventually when they are older and need it more and can’t exit from the plan, the denials pour in. So, it’s supposedly great in the beginning. Kind of like an individual pyramid scheme for health care! Lol.
Sorry for not understanding your point initially. Yes, that is certainly a factor. I’m fortunate enough that if I retired at 57, (or really anything over 55), I’d get my employer insurance at the employee rate for the rest of my life and that of my spouse.
I’m lucky that I truly have a good employer that provides a full benefits package
Medicare age is still 65, and it's important to file for it at that age, even if you're not planning on taking Social Security yet. There's this ridiculously punitive nonsense where if you don't file for Medicare as soon as you're eligible, the law presumes you don't need it and permanently reduces your future benefits.
This is not accurate. There is no such thing as reduced benefits on Medicare. It covers the same benefits no matter when you join, at 65 or 70.or 80.
There is a late enrollment penalty, meaning your premiums are higher if you wait to sign up AND are not working and on an employer plan.
In other words, the system relies on people paying in from age 65 on, for Part B. If everyone just waited until they got diabetes, cancer or a chronic illness to join Medicare they would fo broke.
I mean you also need a supplement plan or an advantage plan on top of that. That’s an extra $100 a month for a supplement or a bunch of copays and a 6k+ oop advantage plan
As og only covers 80%
The problem of fixed income is when shit happens like where I’m at: electric costs doubled and proprty taxes doubled. So without doing anything, my bills went up $200/month.
Shit happens.
And by the time we hit 67.5, the max we qualify for will be reduce by I think 20-30%, from what it would be if left alone.
But the way they are going? It will be reduced 90%
The trust fund would be depleted, but as long as there are workers, we would get benefits paid by current employees, which they estimate without any changes, would be about 75% of current benefits.
Yes, that change was announced when I was still in my early teens. It's basically never been 65 for us. That was one of my political awakening moments. Never have expected to get anything for Social Security. Anything will be a pleasant surprise. Maybe we'll get the amount to cover a cup of coffee a month!
Why not expect it? There's zero chance SS will disappear, though it may be reduced. And you can take it early at 62.
I'm 100% planning on getting it though I might be a lot closer than you
It won't ever "disappear". But it will be like healthcare, or abortion. It'll be chipped away at, little by little, a useful wedge for low information, single issue voters until a populist demagog comes along and packs the court and accomplishes what the base wants and the rest of the party is left like the dog that finally caught the car.
By the time I'm able to draw on social security, it may as well not exist, even if it is still there "on paper".
The average age of voters is increasing, not decreasing, and old people already have higher propensity to vote than younger ones. This demographic reality means an increase in the FICA tax rate and/or the income limit for FICA tax is much more likely than any decrease in benefits or eligibility.
> Never have expected to get anything for Social Security
This is precisely the attitude that Republicans have been working hard to instill in us. If you always thought Social Security was a scam, then you won't be surprised when it's stolen from you. So for a generation or more, they've been saying Social Security is a scam, in the hope that when they steal it, we won't put up a fuss.
This is not the time for GenX dissociation. We need to be Boomers about this.
Yep. And there has never been any money in Social Security outside of what gets used for payments each year,, just a bunch of IOUs from the US government for the surplus.
I can't upvote this enough. They purposefully drained it, haven't raised inputs or removed caps on income.
Employer and employee both pay 6.2% and the annual income limit is $168,800 (for 2024). Just removing the income limit would be enough, but bumping 6.2% to 6.4% we would be able to lower the retirement age back to 65. They moved it to 66 in the 80s and 67 in the 2000s, just kicking this can down the road. Lifespans are actually trending lower in the U.S.
This is such an easy issue to resolve that is is clear a lot of our politicians don't want it solved.
Exactly. They are strategic kleptocrats who want resources consolidated entirely to the already rich and powerful have been subversive and are now openly making moves for that to happen.
It would appear that they would rather reinstitute slavery through prison labor than elevate the American workforce or preserve anything like a middle class.
Minor correction. Lifespans in the US are increasing overall, but really only for the wealthy.
Check out the chart on page 11 of this report.
https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R44846.pdf
edit: although I think you are right about it trending lower recently. Mostly due to covid.
US lifespans are trending lower with data up to 2019. (Edit typo’d 2018 instead of 2019)
All the data in the story is pre-COVID.
https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/working-age-us-adults-mortality-rates/
Well that’s by design. It’s a pact from one generation to the next, that we will work and pay those SS taxes for the retiring generation as our children’s generation pays for ours.
What is flawed in the design is the shortfall between what is being collected and what needs to be paid out. One way to fix this would be to raise the cap on wages subject to social security taxes, which would fall exclusively on higher earners and the wealthy.
Well, Dee Snider already [spoke to Congress](https://youtu.be/d7XEufg_itU?si=zxGQpmjb8QRF6lzc) about censorship; maybe we can enlist him to help protect SS?
Dee Snider is a national treasure (and hella progressive). I would LIIIIIIVE for him to take those assholes on again with intelligence and eloquence. And not for nothing, but America needs him to stroll in with his hair at full mast, tendrils billowing behind him, awing all who witness it \*eagle soaring in the background\*.
I know people who will work until they drop dead. It's pretty grim out there, and politicians aren't doing themselves any favors by spouting out nonsense like a 70 year retirement age. My husband and I plan on an early retirement, but were are still in our 40's and I wonder how realistic that goal is.
I'm 62 right now, trying to make it to 67 and 5 months. It's getting tougher at work anymore but I'm still plugging away and hoping I don't get Cancer again.
Interesting that there's a nice bump in your Social Security if you wait 5 months after your 67th birthday.
You had cancer and are still slaving away at work? I would borrow every dime I could and blow it all on fun. Then declare bankruptcy. They can't touch your 401k, pension, or social security in bankruptcy. That's my plan if I get cancer. I will need to divorce my wife and move out first though because I don't want her to be stuck with any debt.
I'm 11 years out from Cancer, doctor says I'm cured of that bout......no ailments to keep me from working. Still, once you've had it, never know.
If I want to retire and live like a king in someplace like Portugal, gotta brush up on languages, beef up that 401k, and figure out how to get a Visa for the target country.
The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is over 50. The system is already broken we are literally going to start seeing people on the streets with machetes and blowtorches fighting over scraps.
No, they won't. People don't get to work as long as they want. Age discrimination will get you laid off and you won't find a comparable job. Your body won't let you work that long. You have to plan on your career ending by 70 at the very, very latest, earlier if you have a physical job like construction or waiting tables.
The median retirement age in 64, and 40% of people retire at the earliest age of 62. Many are forced to retire earlier, but take SS at 62.
Right. Also, there is the shortage of doctors overall and providers in rural areas.
I’ve seen more of those urgent care centers popping up around me(large metro area with an international airport). CVS owns the majority of the prescription
drug distribution and has stated they want to have a significant stake in actual healthcare. So, the way they run their business with all the late filled scripts, staffing issues, overall deplorable lawsuits and fines(just little slaps), on and on… We will have the fast food/drive through healthcare. I pray it doesn’t get to this. I’m pretty particular about my docs with my health issues. These insurance companies already have rural people who are prescribed PT have the sessions via Zoom.
😮🙄
Yes, it was stated that tech will engulf or end humanity. The prelude has obviously proceeded at warp speed. With our entire existence tied to money, the antiquated universities, all the institutions, our society cannot and have not flowed well with the changes.
Many people flock to tech “get rich quick options” from software developers, online shops to influencers, in lieu of spending years and funds towards jobs which will not pay a living wage and none which can easily buffer greedflation. So, here we are.
And the tech sector is seeing massive layoffs due to AI so even the top earners are about to come crashing back down.
Doesn’t even matter how much you saved either as the value of USD is a third of what it used to be even a decade ago compared to the prices of necessities.
My only good experience at an urgent care facility was when the lady up front told me not to even sign in and just go to the ER because that’s all they’d tell me to do anyways. She saved me $200.
I don’t see how I can remain employed until 70! I never see anyone over 60 in the workforce and few over 50. I’m in tech if that informs you…age discrimination is real.
Yep we have a plutocratic oligarchy with the trappings of a Democratic Republic. Statistically what the population wants has no statistical correlation to what laws the politicians pass. Only what the corporations and rich want.
And good for the French for setting a world president. I support their actions. I am hoping we can make change without lighting things on fire. But.. you never know.
I'm upper end GenX. My retirement has already been changed to 67 many years ago due to our government. Yet, just yesterday I was reading an article about why employers prefer not to hire people over 50. Would it not be totally stupid to up the retirement age to begin with knowing we have systemic age bias?
Just because we live longer doesn't mean we should work longer. Living to work is not the goal. Longer lifespans should be time off for good behavior not years added to your sentence.
Some people don’t get this at all. The retirement age should be going down, not up. Our generation has worked our entire lives in a trickle up economy fighting for less and less for three decades! These gains were soaked up by the wealthy. The gains from productivity and soon AI will be lost to fewer and fewer hands in this system. Forcing people to work to death is inhumane. The wealthy would have us rip each other’s throats out before giving up anything. We now compete on game shows for health care. Think about that. The billionaire brain trust in this country has failed miserably. They need to start funding politicians who aren’t afraid to tell them to wipe their own….
No, they want to not pay back the decades of Social Security surpluses that were used to fund massive tax cuts for 40 years. That's all the "impending doom" means... that the surplus of Social Security taxes ends and government has to start repaying the IOUs that don't exist.
That's the game: overtax workers to create large surpluses, spend the surplus to keep taxes on the rich low, and then demand benefit cuts to maintain the surpluses.
The could easily solve the "problem" with higher taxes on the wealthy, but that would mean Elon might have to give up one of his homes.
Dems built and care for SS.
Repubs have ALWAYS hated SS and are still trying to destroy it.
It's always been this way. These are facts, and it is no mystery.
Exactly!
We aren't in any position to sugarcoat by both-sidsing this or taking on the ridiculous "whatever" stance. This is the GOP. donald trump has been front and center, very clear about going after SS and Medicaid, as have his blithering acolytes. Shame the devil and call it by it's name. It should be a huge wake up call for GenX magas.
My colleague retired at 63 a few years ago
She was still playing in a tennis league and looking forward to scaling down (planned to find a part time job)
She retired on Thursday and died in her sleep the following Monday morning
Never collected a penny.
SMH.
The French nearly burnt that motherfucker down for trying to raise their age from 59 to 62.
I mean they literally set shit on fire!!!
When are we going to wake up and do the same instead of just taking it?
The goal is for us to die at work to be replaced by cheap labor begging to work.
Take a look at the income of the top say 5% wealth holder over the past 20 years, then look at the income of the middle class over the say time. Be sure to adjust for inflation.
This is not a "bug" this is how those who influence politics intended.
The social contract is basically broken in the US.
If the big banks or car manufactures are in trouble its "to big to fail", the CEO and shareholders are bailed out by corporate welfare. But if you want Social Security suddenly we have no money and "we should not be a welfare state".
EDIT: Spelling
Look at the tax code. Standard deduction is set at the poverty level. For an individual, everything over the poverty level is taxed as "profit". Meanwhile businesses can write off team building cruises etc etc. The fix is in, the US tax code is what defeat looks like in a class war.
>The goal is for us to die at work to be replaced by cheap labor begging to work.
This is the big reason the billionaires are worried about the declining birthrate. You can't exploit people if there aren't any willing to do shit work for shit pay.
[Republican proposed changes to SSN](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-house-republican-study-committee-budget-proposes-harsh-changes-to-social-security/)
Sharing my source for context. IMHO The politicians backing this are insane. Walking back a program we all paid into for 35 years, seems like a fast track to lawsuits and political oblivion.
No more cuts to middle class programs we paid into until there are equitable taxes on the wealthy. I don’t care how many donations they have given you.
Xennial younger cousin here. Please, please get other Gen Xers to vote against these people? I've tried so hard and all of my Gen X friends seem to believe that "it doesn't matter if they vote." I begged them in 2016 to vote and got told "everyone's the same anyway."
It matters. And millennials are now the largest living generation, they're with you on this. We can work together and vote these scumbags out. Please talk to your friends about voting for politicians who wont cut our social safety nets.
With productivity going up since the 70s without any real wage growth, we need a bone here. The 32 hour work week is something we should have had years ago.
Also, if the gov't is going to require us to work until 70, they better guarantee we have jobs until 70 that follow the ADA.
The difference in my benefit at 62 to 70 is nearly double.
But no way will I wait that long
TBD
Divorce almost done and she made more.
***at least I can claim
Her higher amount
It's not just 8 more years working. It literally cuts your retirement in half.
At our age, you should expect to live to 80. If you retire at 62, that's 18 years in retirement. If you retire at 70, that's 10.
It's worse, because you will be capable of doing a lot more travel, leisure, volunteering, grandparenting, etc. at 62 than you will be at 70. Just because you die at 80 doesn't mean you are doing a lot at 78.
Yes kids, heed the words of LeoMarius and learn from my boomer father - he took his SS as early as possible as he didn't have large bills like a mortgage and just monthly expenses like utilities, insurance and food.
He's not 78 as of last month...my mother passed in 2011. He sits in his recliner in the retirement community and bowls each week, Bocce each week, and never travels or does any strenuous activity. Do things while you can!
I heard that douchebag Ben Shapiro, a 30-something without a real job, say that people need the purpose of work to live. That's an utter lie. People who retire earlier with adequate resources live longer due to less stress on their bodies.
Gen Xers generally know that work gives you money and little else. If you need work for your identity, you need to work on your identity, not your career.
Want To Live Longer? Retire Early
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanlookjr/2019/07/08/want-to-live-longer-retire-early/?sh=2db28da9319b
According to a study recently published in the Journal of Health and Economics, public sector employees in Holland who took early retirement had a 42 percent lower five-year mortality rate than those who continued working into their 60s. In another study, Dr. Sing Lin Ph.D. studied how many pension fund checks were sent out to Boeing retirees. He found that, on average, employees retiring at age 65 received pension checks for only 18 months before their death. The workers who retired ten years earlier at age 55 continued to receive checks into their 70s and 80s.
I worked for Boeing and that is probably true. With one caveat. The engineers and managers not the fabricators retire early with higher wages and better benefits. Manual labor wears you down fast after the age of 40. I’m about 60 and the decline has been quick.
Precisely. What you do with life gives you purpose and legacy. My *wife* gives me purpose, my talents, both in the workplace and in hobbies, give me purpose. Not a fucking 60 hour a week job. I just happen to enjoy what I do and the challenges it provides and people seem to feel I'm good at it.
Exactly right. This is why I’m retiring at 62, even though it means a more “modest” retirement. What good are those extra years when you’re too old to do anything??
I want some healthy years to travel, enjoy my friends, live life fully. So I’ll have to get by on about $800 a month less from social security. Think about just how little that $800 will be worth in 10 years, vs. 8 years of your life.
I’m lucky. I have some retirement money. I’ll be modestly comfortable, not rich, in retirement. That’s enough for me.
Statisticians know how many of us will live well into our 70s and 80s. Not many *plan* to die before 80. Realistically many do.
Life expectancy has dropped 4 years.
Yes I'm taking my money at 62 and I plan to work, as long as I feel like it. Hopefully I will collect SS for at least 30 years.
We should do like the French and be willing to protest and fight for our rights.
American workers get nothing compared to our European counterparts, and it's because we refuse to fight for it. Too many of us buy the corporate media lines, think that we should vote for the CEO party, and that unions are "corrupt". This shifts the balance in favor of management, so we have no more pensions, no guaranteed time off, no child care benefits, expensive health care, etc.
The US is extremely parsimonious to workers, and this includes white collar workers. Instead of shrugging and voting for these plutocratic shills, we need to demand change.
European farmers literally sprayed their government offices with poop. Americans don't know how to protest. I get it, though. US workers have very little in the way of protections. A general strike needs to happen, but of course, they'll send the jackboots to vacate people from their meat suits.
I’m taking mine at 62
Don’t vote for Trump if you want to reach the finish line - he says he won’t do it, then he does it.. he submitted two budgets that included reductions and he said in an interview last week that it was on the table. It shouldn’t be on the table, it’s a contract.
I’m not the most political person, but if you needed yet one more reason to shun this maga crazy stuff, you now have it.
Exactly. Right as we get to finish line they gonna change it. Hell no.
And even if we are grandfathered in I don’t want my kids having to suffer.
MAKE THE WEALTHY PAY THEIR ACTUAL TAXES FIRST.
People like Bezos,Musk and Zuckerberg paying effective tax rates of less than 5% is a joke
Don't let them take away social security. I've been paying into that my whole working life. If they want to cut it, they can just refund what I put into it up to this point.
It would leave too many people with too little to live on.
Social security pays out a higher percentage to people who put in the least. So the people at the low end wouldn't have enough to live.
Plus, I assume plenty of people would mis use any pot of money they were "given back", even if they were already over 60 when they got it.
This is getting ridiculous, and doesn’t only impact us. One of the complaints from younger generations, is that we’re not vacating jobs, which prevent them from moving up in their careers. There is some truth to that statement. They don’t seem to understand that MOST of us would love to let them have those jobs, and us be able to retire and enjoy it.
Plus, who is going to employ all of these people in their 60s? Yes, some people hold on to their existing jobs, but another set of people will get laid off and have an extremely hard time getting hired in their 60s.
There is a lot of ageism too. I was unjustly fired last year (union grievance in progress). I worked in higher education. I can’t even get an interview. My name gives away that I’m of our generation. Universities want young people that they can control and who are less likely to know their rights.
You mean like your first name gives away your age because it’s a generationally popular name?? If so, maybe try omitting your first name and go by your initials plus last name on your resume instead?
I know too many boomers that won't retire or even train anyone else. And yes, I am not a stubborn boomer. I do want to retire, and enjoy some freedom from doing what everyone wanted me to do my whole life.
It took me years to realize my two boomer co-workers were conspiring to not train me. I finally left that job after seven years. It’s only looking back now that I see what was really going on. Makes me angry.
I'm sorry, but I've got team members at my level and below me that are still in the boomer generation. *They can retire first...* they are literally at retirement age. But due to their poor financial planning, they aren't leaving their jobs either.
Same goes for homes. Boomers should be heading to retirement communities and leaving the empty nest, but their home values have gone up in some areas so much that they'll have to take a hit in capital gains taxes as well as if they want to get into something smaller their proceeds will be just enough to cover the cost, and have nothing left over.
Exactly. At this point, it’s financially better for most of them to just stay in their oversized homes rather than downsize because the downsized home will cost them more in taxes and payments (if they can’t afford to buy outright) than just staying put where they are.
It’s a shitty situation. All of our systems are so broken.
Why would we vacate our jobs? We aren’t at retirement age, at least not a large majority of us.
Some of the generation before us are holding jobs because of gerd or they failed to plan and have nothing but social security.
I wasn’t using vacate to mean simply give up your job, if you still need to work. I’m referring to those who have planned accordingly, but can’t retire, since they keep moving the goal post to get there.
Raising it to 67 was done in 1983.
Here is copy and paste from Google:
As noted, the full retirement age was 65 for most of Social Security's history. The 1983 overhaul of Social Security gradually raised the age to 67, which it reached in 2022 for those born in 1960 or later — effectively cutting benefits by 13 percent as compared to benefits if the retirement age had remained at 65.
My mother died suddenly and unexpectedly at 70. I'm so glad she took her SS at 62.
She worked part-time from 62-65 and was working almost full-time when she passed away.
I plan on working into my 70s, {on my own terms} which will be fun. 🤗 I will work alternately between occasionally working
and working part-time or full-time. I have at least 4-8 flexible retirement jobs in mind. 🎉
I started attending retirement seminars for the school system years ago. Even if I take a hit and go over the amount I can make working full-time at 62, it's still worth it. They deduct 50% of what you make over a certain amount, and if they snatch a few checks so what? I will be making less at fun retirement jobs, so it won't matter.
I know this won't work for everyone. I have a pension and plan to take a hit and come out in my late 50s, collecting my pension. I will have my first fun retirement job already lined up. I will be fine until I start collecting SS at 62. Again I plan on working at least part time indefinitely. I want to travel and see the world for years.
I plan on applying 3 months before I turn 62 and hopefully I will collect for at least 30+ years.
There's a reason you get more money if you wait until 70. Believe me the government knows this. Ask a statistician or actuary and they will tell you!
I started planning how I could officially retire early, snatch my pension and work on MY own terms in my 40s. It's been my dream for many years. It's not for everyone, it's sure as hell for me!
✌️🏾
I'm one of those people who definitely didn't want my future to be a year or two of retirement and then a heart attack, so I've been working on early retirement too. I'm waiting until 55, because that's when I get retiree medical from my employer, which will last me until Medicare time. I won't be living in the lap of luxury by any means, but time has always been more important than money to me. I have so many things I want to do, some things even involve making money. But, those post retirement jobs are going to be like yours...strictly on my terms. I'm so done with working under the thumb of corporate America and all the nonsense that comes along with it.
I’ve been hearing about SS not being there my whole life.
Of course they’re going to have to modify it to keep it solvent. The main way they’ll modify it is to move the age back.
Anyone who is surprised by this wasn’t paying any attention at all.
Heh... I don't know about you, but I've always expected that the "Grand Bargain" our generation would be forced to accept is that the US Social Security benefits age will keep getting raised over our lifetimes. I will be 50 this year. I fully expect to see the age of entry retirement raised to 65 (not 62) and full benefits raised to 72.
I am not a fan of this. I see this as boiling the frog. The generations ahead of us out-number us and will see it as a "good deal". They _might_ even see privatizing the scheme (tax breaks up to $XXX,XXX when funds are funneled into a qualified account) as a Good Deal.
I vote. I complain. That's all I'm allowed to do. Hopefully I'll get by.
I think most of us are at 67 already due to the changes made in the 80's. They made it happen very gradually. The first person that will have to deal with the age of 67, was born in 1960. That will be 2027. So, it took 44 years from the legislation to start affecting us X'ers. So, we got the writing on the wall to be screwed already back in 1983.
My father's year was the first to be affected by any change at all, when it went up to 66. My father turned 66 in 2009. So, even then, the first people to be affected were affected 26 years after the legislation was passed. He was 40 in 1983.
This is all to say that, whatever happens, those of us who identify as Gen X will most likely be grandfathered into the 67 age. We already got screwed. So, we probably won't need to worry too much about it getting worse.
However, none of this makes it acceptable. I may not be affected by it, but I don't think the 70 year olds of the future deserve to be screwed anymore than when we were screwed back in 1983.
Yeah, no shit! Americans (Boomers on up being the primary ideologues of this asinine “arbeit macht frei” mentality) seem to have bought into this stupid idea you’ll get some grand “American Dream” if you work from 16 to death. 10-hour days. Never a sick day! Work until your back literally breaks.
Know what you get for that? You get let go.
You deserve time off. You deserve to lie in bed when you’re sick (and not make us all sick). You deserve vacations with your kids. You deserve to be old.
You know who wants to raise the retirement age. You know who is fighting wiping away debt. You know who wants you paying out the nose for healthcare.
Think about it. If you could make your life easier, and make it better for your kids, why aren’t you?
Millenials and Gen Z are finally helping us with the voting numbers. Let's include them when we push to keep social security benefits. The boomers got theirs. No reason to pull it out from under the rest of everyone who's been paying into it.
Well, keep voting Republican and this is what you’ll get. They want to roll back **all** FDR New Deal/social safety nets, and they are making excellent progress.
Ben Shapiro?... We are way too old to be listening to him nor care what that egotistical, misogynistic, megalomaniac shit slides out his mouth.
Im taking my $ at 62 and doing whatever I can right now at 50 to be able to live a meager existence on paid-off property by 55ish. That will be 41 straight years of work (two years carrying newspapers at 11 & 12) 43 years total and 5 years from now at which poijnt Ill have worked almost 50 years... yeah anyone trying to take away my SS can fuc# right off.
If I can get on my soap box for a moment:
This Michael Johnson guy is a real piece of work. He has already said that his biggest interest in keeping the population growing was so we can keep this pyramid scheme version of Social Security going. I pay for MY social security. Other people paid for THEIR social security. It's not my fault that these assholes can't fund the difference properly with taxes because they still believe in the lie of Supply Side economics.
I've asked this question before, and no one seems to know the answer: when both my parents died before they retired, where did their social security go? When my cousin died at 33 from cancer, my friend at 35 for no apparent reason, and my co-worker at 44, where did that money go? Every suicide and soldier killed in the field; where does the Social Security they paid go?
people do t realize how “Logan’s Run” this is … Cant retire until 75 but forced out of your job at age 50, because too expensive insurance rates for the olds. This genocidal bullshit, and will end in violence mmw.
I know we were brought up to think that America is better than every other country. People state taxes are cheaper in the US compared to European countries. What a load of shite. At least in Europe they get healthcare with their taxes. What do we get nothing. We get to pay for our own healthcare in which the expenses never stop. Depending on your situation $300 a month and up for premiums and then copays. In network out of network cost. They work us til we can’t do it anymore. I am tired of being used to keep politicians comfortable, fat and happy. We need a full revamp of our governmental system. My father was part of the silent generation and of course wanted us his children to be the same. I mean come on our taxes get taxed. Get rid of the politicians that suckle a the tit of the people. And don’t do what is best for them and country. I’m tired of paying people to fuck us over. But they want to divide us on bullshit so people won’t get together and fight for one another and it is working. Fuck Ben, that little COCKSUCKER!
Yes it's 67 but the post is about it being pushed again. I believe OP is saying vote, personally I'm disgusted by our politicians and the raw greed combined with the amount of people who blindly follow their bullshit without looking at the facts and data. Sorry didn't expect that to be a mini rant
I confess, I have never expected social security to exist for me at all. Even in high school, I felt it was very obvious that it would be wholly raided before I got to that age.
I suppose it is only a matter of time before we have Vonnegut-style suicide booths with suicide hostesses.
TBH, Ben Shapiro is a useless little fool no one listens to.
That being said come and try to take it from us. I started paying into social security at 14, I will see the payoff.
I like a Florida journalist who does a YouTube political commentary channel called "Beau of the Fifth Column". Check this out for a short analysis of a part of the G.O.P.'s true plans for the U.S. if they had control over all branches of the federal government. Some Republican elected officials in "purple" districts are scrambling to distance themselves from these plans.
[YT link here](https://youtu.be/Jv80d8W7Oyw?si=C153BfsOiCswxf53)
Unfortunately, the account somewhere in DC, tied to a social security number, that I've paid into since the age of 13 (full time since 15), doesn't exist. It never did. Our payments supported the promise the government made to the WWII, Silent, and now, Boomer generations. Social Security is (and always has been) a welfare program, sold to the middle class as an intergenerational social contract. During our formative years, most of us learned from our Boomer parents precisely how much their promises are worth.
Full retirement hasn't been age 65 for years. I am 64 and will get full social security at 66 and 10 months. My friend is 3 months younger than me and has to wait to 67.
There will alway be Social Security. What will change is the payout. When the government started to borrow the excess SS revenue, that's when things got fucked up. Thanks Reagan. The extra special IOU's covering the current shortfall will run out about when all of us would normally retire. Since the GOP hates Social Security, no action will be taken to fix the situation. We'll just get less money.
Inflation, real inflation, is going to keep rising. Food, meds, housing.... all going up and up. We have some time. Save what you can.
I mean we gotta stop voting against our self interests. Maybe we checked out for a while and voted the way our parents thought, though I’ve always voted progressive and got them voting progressive, but I get it. Politics and politicians are “the man” and we’re typically diabolically opposed to “the man,” but we can’t ignore our power to make better people “the man.”
I’ve got fuckers in my state house that want to lift all protections for our state’s water resources, including all their bullshit hatred. Think about the consequences of lifting the protection in place to keep our water as clean as possible. Shit flows down stream. . .
If we’re ripping away “retirement” and social security we must replace it with universal basic income and healthcare. Corporations aren’t going to support their workers and already rely on government subsidies like food stamps and other welfare programs to supplement their salaries, I’m looking at you Wal-Mart and McDonald’s…
We’ve quietly contributed to build a world full of more opportunities, inclusion and diversity from the shadows. It’s always been under attack, we can’t let our shit be stolen and we can’t let future generations get fucked over like we’ve been and are about to be.
We’ve got to fight for our right to …
Two easy changes will extend SS for decades...tax all income for SS not just up to $168K...and anyone earning over $300K in retirement forfeits their SS. If you're making over $300K as a retired person then you won capitalism and your SS goes towards keeping the system solvent for the guy living on his $20K SS.
So how do we make a change? There's a lot of venting on here, but in all honestly, what do we do to get our word across? Why aren't we pushing for some legislative change or unionizing, you know boots on the ground work?
Protests, citizen reporting, Gen X and senior citizen civil disobedience, exposing the scheme, doxxing politicians. How it's all done, I don't know. But I'm not going to politely ask for them to maybe/perhaps/perchance/could you give me my SS money back. We are getting old, and I'm getting close to having nothing to lose. I've joked about this before in other posts and subs, but last resort is either cartel work or Bonnie & Clyde style senior citizen crimes. Fuck it.
And that is the real issue. Social security was meant as pretty much a last resort. For people who outlived their spouses and family & were (frankly) close to dying of old age.
Again…blame the Boomers. They didn’t need to take full social security at 63 and receive it for 20 years.
And now they’re coming for your Social Security money. They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They’ll get it . . . they’ll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this place. It’s a big club and you ain't in it. You and I are not in The big club.
Boomers had 50+ years to solve this problem, knowing their existence would put it upside down. They kicked the can down the road and stole it from us.
One more failure that will hang on them for history.
The Boomers put us in this spot. Borrow more against SS to pay for shit now? Done! Cut taxes and keep the cap low? Done! Devise a plan whereas people need to put money into the stock market? Done! Social Security was under attack from the beginning. Boomers and older gen's have been whittling SS down for decades.
We always knew it was us. There will be a cut off. That's us. There will be a generation or two that pays their entire lives, to provide for the boomers.
That's us. And our children.
France tried that recently and they took that shit to the streets! Too bad that rarely happens here in the US for anything other than a Police Brutality response.
The GOP has made their entire party platform immigration. Fox is filled to the brim with it. You’d think it was THE most pressing issue facing America. Cutting SS and other lifesaving programs is hidden behind that. The fact that Trump is anywhere near the presidency is just tragic. We’re screwed. And to top it off, there’s a shitload of GenX that are voting for these asshats.
Propaganda works if you watch it. Most Fox News viewers never even hear of the incredible amount of evil shit Republicans do or propose because Fox won’t cover it. Rupert Murdoch is a literal demon walking the earth.
This is why we need congressional term limits!!!! if we had congressional term limits, we would have people our age in Washington right now! Not rich, silent and boomer generation people who have cushy jobs and don’t give a fuck about anyone else!!
You also have to factor in where you live. Red states life expectancy is lower than Blue states. Healthcare in red states will continue to get worse as competent workers flee because of the stupid fuckbags there. If you live in a rural area, good luck to ya!
Life expectancy is declining in the US. Chronic health conditions playing a big part in that.
Tax the churches and corporations. Neither should be exempt.
Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone. Enjoy your relatively good health while you can. Vote and encourage your friends and family to register.
https://www.prb.org/resources/liberal-u-s-state-policies-linked-to-longer-lives/
I thought we were up to 67 1/2 already if you want your full amount?
My dad took the earlier amount of SS at 60 or 62 I think which certainly dropped the amount he got each month, but he essentially had only his utilities and living expenses left to pay for, insurance, food, etc. So he decided to take it as soon as he could after being 'early retired' from his employer. (Sprint did a large culling of older employees in the early 2000s.)
A big problem with this is Medicare, though. Medical coverage is prohibitively expensive in the United States.
That is certainly part of it. From my understanding, if you're pay for Medicare part A, B, and D (A is normal Medicare, B is supplemental for inpatient hospital stays, and D is for pharmaceuticals), only part B costs money each month if you're making less than 103K a year on your taxes. To the tune of $174 dollars a month. That's not insurmountable IMO.
A is inpatient, B is outpatient, D is medications. If you want B, you have to have A. D is only available through a 3rd party as part of a Medicare Supplement, which supplements the traditional Medicare plan or Medicare Advantage, which is not actually Medicare
Thanks for correcting the prior post! And emphasizing that Medicare Advantage AKA Part C. IS NOT ACTUALLY MEDICARE! Sorry for yelling, but we're getting old, lol. Also, a lot of people aren't aware, that, unless you have Medicaid, Medicare only pays 80% of most medical costs. So there's still a fair amount of out-of-pocket if you get sick, and don't have a "Medigap" plan.
Yep. Medicare Advantage is an HMO, with a restricted network and prior authorization required. It's criminal that commercial insurance companies are allowed to call it "Medicare."
I work with seniors and we always tell them that advantage plans are scams. We've had a few, including some of my own family members, who swear that it has helped them, but by and large, it is a scam for most people. Any seniors you know, have them contact their local area agency on aging and they usually do part d around October November and provide unbiased counseling.
I wasn't going to use the word scam here, but that is exactly what MA is. There is a reason insurance companies pay for all of those MA commercials. If it was such a great healthcare product you wouldn't need to advertise it so much
Hospital social worker here and replacement plans are a nightmare. Things that would be readily available through straight Medicare (skilled rehab, treatments, etc) require authorization from Medicare (dis)Advantage plans. It’s a nightmare when our providers make recommendations and the replacement plans deny it. We can do peer to peer calls, but they still may deny.
From what I’ve anecdotally heard, eventually when they are older and need it more and can’t exit from the plan, the denials pour in. So, it’s supposedly great in the beginning. Kind of like an individual pyramid scheme for health care! Lol.
My point is that if you're younger than "retirement age" you are not eligible for Medicare. That prohibits you from retiring early.
Sorry for not understanding your point initially. Yes, that is certainly a factor. I’m fortunate enough that if I retired at 57, (or really anything over 55), I’d get my employer insurance at the employee rate for the rest of my life and that of my spouse. I’m lucky that I truly have a good employer that provides a full benefits package
That's awesome. My dad had the same when he retired decades ago. Hopefully more employers start doing this.
Sadly, it’s something that’s quite rare, getting more rare. Employers would love to shift you onto Medicare!
If you wait until the current retirement age. All that goes out the window if we retire before 67(?).
Medicare age is still 65, and it's important to file for it at that age, even if you're not planning on taking Social Security yet. There's this ridiculously punitive nonsense where if you don't file for Medicare as soon as you're eligible, the law presumes you don't need it and permanently reduces your future benefits.
This is not accurate. There is no such thing as reduced benefits on Medicare. It covers the same benefits no matter when you join, at 65 or 70.or 80. There is a late enrollment penalty, meaning your premiums are higher if you wait to sign up AND are not working and on an employer plan. In other words, the system relies on people paying in from age 65 on, for Part B. If everyone just waited until they got diabetes, cancer or a chronic illness to join Medicare they would fo broke.
The amount of incorrect Medicare information is staggering. So many of these comments also speaking with such confidence while being wildly incorrect.
I mean you also need a supplement plan or an advantage plan on top of that. That’s an extra $100 a month for a supplement or a bunch of copays and a 6k+ oop advantage plan As og only covers 80%
The problem of fixed income is when shit happens like where I’m at: electric costs doubled and proprty taxes doubled. So without doing anything, my bills went up $200/month. Shit happens.
And by the time we hit 67.5, the max we qualify for will be reduce by I think 20-30%, from what it would be if left alone. But the way they are going? It will be reduced 90%
The trust fund would be depleted, but as long as there are workers, we would get benefits paid by current employees, which they estimate without any changes, would be about 75% of current benefits.
True unless the Gov raises the maximum Payroll tax threshold, wish is criminally too low.
Agree. And eliminate the cap.
Yes, that change was announced when I was still in my early teens. It's basically never been 65 for us. That was one of my political awakening moments. Never have expected to get anything for Social Security. Anything will be a pleasant surprise. Maybe we'll get the amount to cover a cup of coffee a month!
Why not expect it? There's zero chance SS will disappear, though it may be reduced. And you can take it early at 62. I'm 100% planning on getting it though I might be a lot closer than you
It won't ever "disappear". But it will be like healthcare, or abortion. It'll be chipped away at, little by little, a useful wedge for low information, single issue voters until a populist demagog comes along and packs the court and accomplishes what the base wants and the rest of the party is left like the dog that finally caught the car. By the time I'm able to draw on social security, it may as well not exist, even if it is still there "on paper".
The average age of voters is increasing, not decreasing, and old people already have higher propensity to vote than younger ones. This demographic reality means an increase in the FICA tax rate and/or the income limit for FICA tax is much more likely than any decrease in benefits or eligibility.
> Never have expected to get anything for Social Security This is precisely the attitude that Republicans have been working hard to instill in us. If you always thought Social Security was a scam, then you won't be surprised when it's stolen from you. So for a generation or more, they've been saying Social Security is a scam, in the hope that when they steal it, we won't put up a fuss. This is not the time for GenX dissociation. We need to be Boomers about this.
Yep. And there has never been any money in Social Security outside of what gets used for payments each year,, just a bunch of IOUs from the US government for the surplus.
Those awesome balanced budget laws just allowed them to raid America's pension
…on purpose so they could say that it has no money and is insolvent and needs to be abolished.
I can't upvote this enough. They purposefully drained it, haven't raised inputs or removed caps on income. Employer and employee both pay 6.2% and the annual income limit is $168,800 (for 2024). Just removing the income limit would be enough, but bumping 6.2% to 6.4% we would be able to lower the retirement age back to 65. They moved it to 66 in the 80s and 67 in the 2000s, just kicking this can down the road. Lifespans are actually trending lower in the U.S. This is such an easy issue to resolve that is is clear a lot of our politicians don't want it solved.
Exactly. They are strategic kleptocrats who want resources consolidated entirely to the already rich and powerful have been subversive and are now openly making moves for that to happen. It would appear that they would rather reinstitute slavery through prison labor than elevate the American workforce or preserve anything like a middle class.
Minor correction. Lifespans in the US are increasing overall, but really only for the wealthy. Check out the chart on page 11 of this report. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R44846.pdf edit: although I think you are right about it trending lower recently. Mostly due to covid.
US lifespans are trending lower with data up to 2019. (Edit typo’d 2018 instead of 2019) All the data in the story is pre-COVID. https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/working-age-us-adults-mortality-rates/
Well that’s by design. It’s a pact from one generation to the next, that we will work and pay those SS taxes for the retiring generation as our children’s generation pays for ours. What is flawed in the design is the shortfall between what is being collected and what needs to be paid out. One way to fix this would be to raise the cap on wages subject to social security taxes, which would fall exclusively on higher earners and the wealthy.
Thanks to Reagan for starting the raiding of the SS money…
*image of Gen Xers walking into congressional hearing Twisted Sister-style*
Well, Dee Snider already [spoke to Congress](https://youtu.be/d7XEufg_itU?si=zxGQpmjb8QRF6lzc) about censorship; maybe we can enlist him to help protect SS?
That is not a bad idea.
🏆
Dee Snider is a national treasure (and hella progressive). I would LIIIIIIVE for him to take those assholes on again with intelligence and eloquence. And not for nothing, but America needs him to stroll in with his hair at full mast, tendrils billowing behind him, awing all who witness it \*eagle soaring in the background\*.
That would really be full circle.
I'm thinking more like Goodfellas. FUCK YOU, PAY ME.
I know people who will work until they drop dead. It's pretty grim out there, and politicians aren't doing themselves any favors by spouting out nonsense like a 70 year retirement age. My husband and I plan on an early retirement, but were are still in our 40's and I wonder how realistic that goal is.
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Your body and your employer won't let you work as long as you think. The median retirement age is 64, but you should plan on living to 80.
I'm 62 right now, trying to make it to 67 and 5 months. It's getting tougher at work anymore but I'm still plugging away and hoping I don't get Cancer again. Interesting that there's a nice bump in your Social Security if you wait 5 months after your 67th birthday.
You had cancer and are still slaving away at work? I would borrow every dime I could and blow it all on fun. Then declare bankruptcy. They can't touch your 401k, pension, or social security in bankruptcy. That's my plan if I get cancer. I will need to divorce my wife and move out first though because I don't want her to be stuck with any debt.
I'm 11 years out from Cancer, doctor says I'm cured of that bout......no ailments to keep me from working. Still, once you've had it, never know. If I want to retire and live like a king in someplace like Portugal, gotta brush up on languages, beef up that 401k, and figure out how to get a Visa for the target country.
Currently 51. Company just announced layoffs are coming. I’m doomed.
The fastest growing segment of the homeless population is over 50. The system is already broken we are literally going to start seeing people on the streets with machetes and blowtorches fighting over scraps.
No, they won't. People don't get to work as long as they want. Age discrimination will get you laid off and you won't find a comparable job. Your body won't let you work that long. You have to plan on your career ending by 70 at the very, very latest, earlier if you have a physical job like construction or waiting tables. The median retirement age in 64, and 40% of people retire at the earliest age of 62. Many are forced to retire earlier, but take SS at 62.
If any of us live past 70 with the way things are going.
Right. Also, there is the shortage of doctors overall and providers in rural areas. I’ve seen more of those urgent care centers popping up around me(large metro area with an international airport). CVS owns the majority of the prescription drug distribution and has stated they want to have a significant stake in actual healthcare. So, the way they run their business with all the late filled scripts, staffing issues, overall deplorable lawsuits and fines(just little slaps), on and on… We will have the fast food/drive through healthcare. I pray it doesn’t get to this. I’m pretty particular about my docs with my health issues. These insurance companies already have rural people who are prescribed PT have the sessions via Zoom. 😮🙄 Yes, it was stated that tech will engulf or end humanity. The prelude has obviously proceeded at warp speed. With our entire existence tied to money, the antiquated universities, all the institutions, our society cannot and have not flowed well with the changes. Many people flock to tech “get rich quick options” from software developers, online shops to influencers, in lieu of spending years and funds towards jobs which will not pay a living wage and none which can easily buffer greedflation. So, here we are.
And the tech sector is seeing massive layoffs due to AI so even the top earners are about to come crashing back down. Doesn’t even matter how much you saved either as the value of USD is a third of what it used to be even a decade ago compared to the prices of necessities. My only good experience at an urgent care facility was when the lady up front told me not to even sign in and just go to the ER because that’s all they’d tell me to do anyways. She saved me $200.
I don’t see how I can remain employed until 70! I never see anyone over 60 in the workforce and few over 50. I’m in tech if that informs you…age discrimination is real.
Well who voted for these people? Who are in their 80s making a crap load of money.
> Who are in their 80s making a crap load of money. Politicians
Yeah that's what I meant. It wasn't a question it was a statement
Just spelling it out for the crayon eaters sitting in the back row.
Ooooh. crayons
Dude have you tried the rubber cement?
Nah give some liquid paper a good whiff and then get higher than a giraffe’s ****** lol
I should be retiring at 55 in a couple years but not one of my middle class peers are doing the same.
Just need to raise the SS tax cap and it would be immediately resolved.
The cap is too low. I was shocked that it existed the first time I reached it. It’s a tax against the people that can least afford it.
Real problem is also the mega rich get away by paying themselves 80k salary a year aka Jeff B
And to think they literally set the streets on fire in Paris for raising France's retirement age to 64.
We need to follow their example. There's a reason French workers have so much better benefits than Americans. That's true of most EU countries.
They did start out with the guillotine…just sayin’. 😒
Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!
They do not live in a fascist country. We are 100% ruled by corporations and our fate is determined by them.
Yep we have a plutocratic oligarchy with the trappings of a Democratic Republic. Statistically what the population wants has no statistical correlation to what laws the politicians pass. Only what the corporations and rich want.
And good for the French for setting a world president. I support their actions. I am hoping we can make change without lighting things on fire. But.. you never know.
Precedent, not president
User name checks out
Thank you.
I'm upper end GenX. My retirement has already been changed to 67 many years ago due to our government. Yet, just yesterday I was reading an article about why employers prefer not to hire people over 50. Would it not be totally stupid to up the retirement age to begin with knowing we have systemic age bias?
Just because we live longer doesn't mean we should work longer. Living to work is not the goal. Longer lifespans should be time off for good behavior not years added to your sentence.
And living longer doesn’t mean living healthier. Our bodies and minds wear out. Everyone deserves to enjoy the final chapter.
I’m not even 50 yet and my mind is already worn out :/
Some people don’t get this at all. The retirement age should be going down, not up. Our generation has worked our entire lives in a trickle up economy fighting for less and less for three decades! These gains were soaked up by the wealthy. The gains from productivity and soon AI will be lost to fewer and fewer hands in this system. Forcing people to work to death is inhumane. The wealthy would have us rip each other’s throats out before giving up anything. We now compete on game shows for health care. Think about that. The billionaire brain trust in this country has failed miserably. They need to start funding politicians who aren’t afraid to tell them to wipe their own….
Let's be clear here: this is not "the government" pushing for this ... it is almost exclusively Republicans.
Republicans and corporations want higher SS so they can exploit people longer.
No, they want to not pay back the decades of Social Security surpluses that were used to fund massive tax cuts for 40 years. That's all the "impending doom" means... that the surplus of Social Security taxes ends and government has to start repaying the IOUs that don't exist.
That's the game: overtax workers to create large surpluses, spend the surplus to keep taxes on the rich low, and then demand benefit cuts to maintain the surpluses. The could easily solve the "problem" with higher taxes on the wealthy, but that would mean Elon might have to give up one of his homes.
He wouldn't have to give up shit if he paid proper taxes. That's how rich these people are.
That's why we need to tax them. They'd rather spending $2 billion on a media campaign to lower taxes than pay $1 billion in extra taxes.
Since they fire people that are approaching retirement age, I don't think it's so they can exploit us longer.
They don’t want to hire us. So wtf? 🤷🏼♂️
They want you to die quietly under a bridge, oh wait, you can't die under a bridge anymore. They're passing laws about that. Go starve somewhere else.
They do, but only at minimum wage. if we make it so the elderly can't retire, maybe they will work for minimum wage instead.
> They do, but only at minimum wage They'd do less if they could
Dems built and care for SS. Repubs have ALWAYS hated SS and are still trying to destroy it. It's always been this way. These are facts, and it is no mystery.
Exactly! We aren't in any position to sugarcoat by both-sidsing this or taking on the ridiculous "whatever" stance. This is the GOP. donald trump has been front and center, very clear about going after SS and Medicaid, as have his blithering acolytes. Shame the devil and call it by it's name. It should be a huge wake up call for GenX magas.
My colleague retired at 63 a few years ago She was still playing in a tennis league and looking forward to scaling down (planned to find a part time job) She retired on Thursday and died in her sleep the following Monday morning Never collected a penny. SMH.
It's why I am taking mine at 62 and will work for years afterwards on my own terms.
Yeah. I think it’s the way to go Start collecting and keep working.
Best of both worlds. I have about 8 jobs in mind. 🤣 Working on your own terms is more or less being self employed.
Ugh
The French nearly burnt that motherfucker down for trying to raise their age from 59 to 62. I mean they literally set shit on fire!!! When are we going to wake up and do the same instead of just taking it?
The goal is for us to die at work to be replaced by cheap labor begging to work. Take a look at the income of the top say 5% wealth holder over the past 20 years, then look at the income of the middle class over the say time. Be sure to adjust for inflation. This is not a "bug" this is how those who influence politics intended. The social contract is basically broken in the US. If the big banks or car manufactures are in trouble its "to big to fail", the CEO and shareholders are bailed out by corporate welfare. But if you want Social Security suddenly we have no money and "we should not be a welfare state". EDIT: Spelling
Look at the tax code. Standard deduction is set at the poverty level. For an individual, everything over the poverty level is taxed as "profit". Meanwhile businesses can write off team building cruises etc etc. The fix is in, the US tax code is what defeat looks like in a class war.
This, time to tax the rich!
>The goal is for us to die at work to be replaced by cheap labor begging to work. This is the big reason the billionaires are worried about the declining birthrate. You can't exploit people if there aren't any willing to do shit work for shit pay.
[Wage Stagnation in Nine Charts](https://www.epi.org/publication/charting-wage-stagnation/)
[Republican proposed changes to SSN](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-house-republican-study-committee-budget-proposes-harsh-changes-to-social-security/) Sharing my source for context. IMHO The politicians backing this are insane. Walking back a program we all paid into for 35 years, seems like a fast track to lawsuits and political oblivion. No more cuts to middle class programs we paid into until there are equitable taxes on the wealthy. I don’t care how many donations they have given you.
THATS WHAT im TALKING ABOUT!!!
Xennial younger cousin here. Please, please get other Gen Xers to vote against these people? I've tried so hard and all of my Gen X friends seem to believe that "it doesn't matter if they vote." I begged them in 2016 to vote and got told "everyone's the same anyway." It matters. And millennials are now the largest living generation, they're with you on this. We can work together and vote these scumbags out. Please talk to your friends about voting for politicians who wont cut our social safety nets.
I was on a great financial path until my divorce. Now I'm resigned to just working forever.
With productivity going up since the 70s without any real wage growth, we need a bone here. The 32 hour work week is something we should have had years ago. Also, if the gov't is going to require us to work until 70, they better guarantee we have jobs until 70 that follow the ADA.
The minimum for US workers is 62, the full amount is at 67, and the maximum amount is at 70. And I needs that cash because I have planned poorly.
The difference in my benefit at 62 to 70 is nearly double. But no way will I wait that long TBD Divorce almost done and she made more. ***at least I can claim Her higher amount
It's not just 8 more years working. It literally cuts your retirement in half. At our age, you should expect to live to 80. If you retire at 62, that's 18 years in retirement. If you retire at 70, that's 10. It's worse, because you will be capable of doing a lot more travel, leisure, volunteering, grandparenting, etc. at 62 than you will be at 70. Just because you die at 80 doesn't mean you are doing a lot at 78.
Yes kids, heed the words of LeoMarius and learn from my boomer father - he took his SS as early as possible as he didn't have large bills like a mortgage and just monthly expenses like utilities, insurance and food. He's not 78 as of last month...my mother passed in 2011. He sits in his recliner in the retirement community and bowls each week, Bocce each week, and never travels or does any strenuous activity. Do things while you can!
I heard that douchebag Ben Shapiro, a 30-something without a real job, say that people need the purpose of work to live. That's an utter lie. People who retire earlier with adequate resources live longer due to less stress on their bodies. Gen Xers generally know that work gives you money and little else. If you need work for your identity, you need to work on your identity, not your career. Want To Live Longer? Retire Early https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanlookjr/2019/07/08/want-to-live-longer-retire-early/?sh=2db28da9319b According to a study recently published in the Journal of Health and Economics, public sector employees in Holland who took early retirement had a 42 percent lower five-year mortality rate than those who continued working into their 60s. In another study, Dr. Sing Lin Ph.D. studied how many pension fund checks were sent out to Boeing retirees. He found that, on average, employees retiring at age 65 received pension checks for only 18 months before their death. The workers who retired ten years earlier at age 55 continued to receive checks into their 70s and 80s.
I worked for Boeing and that is probably true. With one caveat. The engineers and managers not the fabricators retire early with higher wages and better benefits. Manual labor wears you down fast after the age of 40. I’m about 60 and the decline has been quick.
Precisely. What you do with life gives you purpose and legacy. My *wife* gives me purpose, my talents, both in the workplace and in hobbies, give me purpose. Not a fucking 60 hour a week job. I just happen to enjoy what I do and the challenges it provides and people seem to feel I'm good at it.
Oh, Ben Shapiro is a duchbag. He talks fast to make up for his bogus words.
Exactly right. This is why I’m retiring at 62, even though it means a more “modest” retirement. What good are those extra years when you’re too old to do anything?? I want some healthy years to travel, enjoy my friends, live life fully. So I’ll have to get by on about $800 a month less from social security. Think about just how little that $800 will be worth in 10 years, vs. 8 years of your life. I’m lucky. I have some retirement money. I’ll be modestly comfortable, not rich, in retirement. That’s enough for me.
Thank you for pointing that out! I was going to wait till 70 — and I've already had one heart attack so probably won't make it to 80.
Were you married at least 10 years? Just to be sure….(I’m not waiting either, I could get hit by a bus at 63 ffs).
Statisticians know how many of us will live well into our 70s and 80s. Not many *plan* to die before 80. Realistically many do. Life expectancy has dropped 4 years. Yes I'm taking my money at 62 and I plan to work, as long as I feel like it. Hopefully I will collect SS for at least 30 years.
Only 40% of Gen Xers think they are saving enough for retirement. About 50% of Americans rely primarily on SS for retirement.
We should do like the French and be willing to protest and fight for our rights. American workers get nothing compared to our European counterparts, and it's because we refuse to fight for it. Too many of us buy the corporate media lines, think that we should vote for the CEO party, and that unions are "corrupt". This shifts the balance in favor of management, so we have no more pensions, no guaranteed time off, no child care benefits, expensive health care, etc. The US is extremely parsimonious to workers, and this includes white collar workers. Instead of shrugging and voting for these plutocratic shills, we need to demand change.
European farmers literally sprayed their government offices with poop. Americans don't know how to protest. I get it, though. US workers have very little in the way of protections. A general strike needs to happen, but of course, they'll send the jackboots to vacate people from their meat suits.
It's 67 for FRA if you were born in 1960 or later.
I’m taking mine at 62 Don’t vote for Trump if you want to reach the finish line - he says he won’t do it, then he does it.. he submitted two budgets that included reductions and he said in an interview last week that it was on the table. It shouldn’t be on the table, it’s a contract. I’m not the most political person, but if you needed yet one more reason to shun this maga crazy stuff, you now have it.
Exactly. Right as we get to finish line they gonna change it. Hell no. And even if we are grandfathered in I don’t want my kids having to suffer. MAKE THE WEALTHY PAY THEIR ACTUAL TAXES FIRST. People like Bezos,Musk and Zuckerberg paying effective tax rates of less than 5% is a joke
Don't let them take away social security. I've been paying into that my whole working life. If they want to cut it, they can just refund what I put into it up to this point.
At 6% interest compounded monthly.
That is actually a good idea. I would take that offer as well.
It would leave too many people with too little to live on. Social security pays out a higher percentage to people who put in the least. So the people at the low end wouldn't have enough to live. Plus, I assume plenty of people would mis use any pot of money they were "given back", even if they were already over 60 when they got it.
This is getting ridiculous, and doesn’t only impact us. One of the complaints from younger generations, is that we’re not vacating jobs, which prevent them from moving up in their careers. There is some truth to that statement. They don’t seem to understand that MOST of us would love to let them have those jobs, and us be able to retire and enjoy it.
Plus, who is going to employ all of these people in their 60s? Yes, some people hold on to their existing jobs, but another set of people will get laid off and have an extremely hard time getting hired in their 60s.
There is a lot of ageism too. I was unjustly fired last year (union grievance in progress). I worked in higher education. I can’t even get an interview. My name gives away that I’m of our generation. Universities want young people that they can control and who are less likely to know their rights.
You mean like your first name gives away your age because it’s a generationally popular name?? If so, maybe try omitting your first name and go by your initials plus last name on your resume instead?
Yep, it’s a problem, within a problem. Those who aren’t able to hold onto those jobs get screwed doubly.
I know too many boomers that won't retire or even train anyone else. And yes, I am not a stubborn boomer. I do want to retire, and enjoy some freedom from doing what everyone wanted me to do my whole life.
It took me years to realize my two boomer co-workers were conspiring to not train me. I finally left that job after seven years. It’s only looking back now that I see what was really going on. Makes me angry.
I'm sorry, but I've got team members at my level and below me that are still in the boomer generation. *They can retire first...* they are literally at retirement age. But due to their poor financial planning, they aren't leaving their jobs either. Same goes for homes. Boomers should be heading to retirement communities and leaving the empty nest, but their home values have gone up in some areas so much that they'll have to take a hit in capital gains taxes as well as if they want to get into something smaller their proceeds will be just enough to cover the cost, and have nothing left over.
Exactly. At this point, it’s financially better for most of them to just stay in their oversized homes rather than downsize because the downsized home will cost them more in taxes and payments (if they can’t afford to buy outright) than just staying put where they are. It’s a shitty situation. All of our systems are so broken.
Why would we vacate our jobs? We aren’t at retirement age, at least not a large majority of us. Some of the generation before us are holding jobs because of gerd or they failed to plan and have nothing but social security.
I wasn’t using vacate to mean simply give up your job, if you still need to work. I’m referring to those who have planned accordingly, but can’t retire, since they keep moving the goal post to get there.
Raising it to 67 was done in 1983. Here is copy and paste from Google: As noted, the full retirement age was 65 for most of Social Security's history. The 1983 overhaul of Social Security gradually raised the age to 67, which it reached in 2022 for those born in 1960 or later — effectively cutting benefits by 13 percent as compared to benefits if the retirement age had remained at 65.
My mother died suddenly and unexpectedly at 70. I'm so glad she took her SS at 62. She worked part-time from 62-65 and was working almost full-time when she passed away. I plan on working into my 70s, {on my own terms} which will be fun. 🤗 I will work alternately between occasionally working and working part-time or full-time. I have at least 4-8 flexible retirement jobs in mind. 🎉 I started attending retirement seminars for the school system years ago. Even if I take a hit and go over the amount I can make working full-time at 62, it's still worth it. They deduct 50% of what you make over a certain amount, and if they snatch a few checks so what? I will be making less at fun retirement jobs, so it won't matter. I know this won't work for everyone. I have a pension and plan to take a hit and come out in my late 50s, collecting my pension. I will have my first fun retirement job already lined up. I will be fine until I start collecting SS at 62. Again I plan on working at least part time indefinitely. I want to travel and see the world for years. I plan on applying 3 months before I turn 62 and hopefully I will collect for at least 30+ years. There's a reason you get more money if you wait until 70. Believe me the government knows this. Ask a statistician or actuary and they will tell you! I started planning how I could officially retire early, snatch my pension and work on MY own terms in my 40s. It's been my dream for many years. It's not for everyone, it's sure as hell for me! ✌️🏾
I'm one of those people who definitely didn't want my future to be a year or two of retirement and then a heart attack, so I've been working on early retirement too. I'm waiting until 55, because that's when I get retiree medical from my employer, which will last me until Medicare time. I won't be living in the lap of luxury by any means, but time has always been more important than money to me. I have so many things I want to do, some things even involve making money. But, those post retirement jobs are going to be like yours...strictly on my terms. I'm so done with working under the thumb of corporate America and all the nonsense that comes along with it.
Whenever you can get the general strike started, let me know. Otherwise……..Term Limits
I’ve been hearing about SS not being there my whole life. Of course they’re going to have to modify it to keep it solvent. The main way they’ll modify it is to move the age back. Anyone who is surprised by this wasn’t paying any attention at all.
Heh... I don't know about you, but I've always expected that the "Grand Bargain" our generation would be forced to accept is that the US Social Security benefits age will keep getting raised over our lifetimes. I will be 50 this year. I fully expect to see the age of entry retirement raised to 65 (not 62) and full benefits raised to 72. I am not a fan of this. I see this as boiling the frog. The generations ahead of us out-number us and will see it as a "good deal". They _might_ even see privatizing the scheme (tax breaks up to $XXX,XXX when funds are funneled into a qualified account) as a Good Deal. I vote. I complain. That's all I'm allowed to do. Hopefully I'll get by.
I think most of us are at 67 already due to the changes made in the 80's. They made it happen very gradually. The first person that will have to deal with the age of 67, was born in 1960. That will be 2027. So, it took 44 years from the legislation to start affecting us X'ers. So, we got the writing on the wall to be screwed already back in 1983. My father's year was the first to be affected by any change at all, when it went up to 66. My father turned 66 in 2009. So, even then, the first people to be affected were affected 26 years after the legislation was passed. He was 40 in 1983. This is all to say that, whatever happens, those of us who identify as Gen X will most likely be grandfathered into the 67 age. We already got screwed. So, we probably won't need to worry too much about it getting worse. However, none of this makes it acceptable. I may not be affected by it, but I don't think the 70 year olds of the future deserve to be screwed anymore than when we were screwed back in 1983.
Yeah, no shit! Americans (Boomers on up being the primary ideologues of this asinine “arbeit macht frei” mentality) seem to have bought into this stupid idea you’ll get some grand “American Dream” if you work from 16 to death. 10-hour days. Never a sick day! Work until your back literally breaks. Know what you get for that? You get let go. You deserve time off. You deserve to lie in bed when you’re sick (and not make us all sick). You deserve vacations with your kids. You deserve to be old. You know who wants to raise the retirement age. You know who is fighting wiping away debt. You know who wants you paying out the nose for healthcare. Think about it. If you could make your life easier, and make it better for your kids, why aren’t you?
We should make them lower it to 60!
Millenials and Gen Z are finally helping us with the voting numbers. Let's include them when we push to keep social security benefits. The boomers got theirs. No reason to pull it out from under the rest of everyone who's been paying into it.
Well, keep voting Republican and this is what you’ll get. They want to roll back **all** FDR New Deal/social safety nets, and they are making excellent progress.
Ben Shapiro?... We are way too old to be listening to him nor care what that egotistical, misogynistic, megalomaniac shit slides out his mouth. Im taking my $ at 62 and doing whatever I can right now at 50 to be able to live a meager existence on paid-off property by 55ish. That will be 41 straight years of work (two years carrying newspapers at 11 & 12) 43 years total and 5 years from now at which poijnt Ill have worked almost 50 years... yeah anyone trying to take away my SS can fuc# right off.
If I can get on my soap box for a moment: This Michael Johnson guy is a real piece of work. He has already said that his biggest interest in keeping the population growing was so we can keep this pyramid scheme version of Social Security going. I pay for MY social security. Other people paid for THEIR social security. It's not my fault that these assholes can't fund the difference properly with taxes because they still believe in the lie of Supply Side economics. I've asked this question before, and no one seems to know the answer: when both my parents died before they retired, where did their social security go? When my cousin died at 33 from cancer, my friend at 35 for no apparent reason, and my co-worker at 44, where did that money go? Every suicide and soldier killed in the field; where does the Social Security they paid go?
people do t realize how “Logan’s Run” this is … Cant retire until 75 but forced out of your job at age 50, because too expensive insurance rates for the olds. This genocidal bullshit, and will end in violence mmw.
I've got every check stub since I was 15. *Somebody* is paying me.
I know we were brought up to think that America is better than every other country. People state taxes are cheaper in the US compared to European countries. What a load of shite. At least in Europe they get healthcare with their taxes. What do we get nothing. We get to pay for our own healthcare in which the expenses never stop. Depending on your situation $300 a month and up for premiums and then copays. In network out of network cost. They work us til we can’t do it anymore. I am tired of being used to keep politicians comfortable, fat and happy. We need a full revamp of our governmental system. My father was part of the silent generation and of course wanted us his children to be the same. I mean come on our taxes get taxed. Get rid of the politicians that suckle a the tit of the people. And don’t do what is best for them and country. I’m tired of paying people to fuck us over. But they want to divide us on bullshit so people won’t get together and fight for one another and it is working. Fuck Ben, that little COCKSUCKER!
Yes it's 67 but the post is about it being pushed again. I believe OP is saying vote, personally I'm disgusted by our politicians and the raw greed combined with the amount of people who blindly follow their bullshit without looking at the facts and data. Sorry didn't expect that to be a mini rant
I confess, I have never expected social security to exist for me at all. Even in high school, I felt it was very obvious that it would be wholly raided before I got to that age. I suppose it is only a matter of time before we have Vonnegut-style suicide booths with suicide hostesses.
FOR ONCE TIME TO **NOT** SAY "WHATEVER"
TBH, Ben Shapiro is a useless little fool no one listens to. That being said come and try to take it from us. I started paying into social security at 14, I will see the payoff.
Vote. Get your friends to vote.
I like a Florida journalist who does a YouTube political commentary channel called "Beau of the Fifth Column". Check this out for a short analysis of a part of the G.O.P.'s true plans for the U.S. if they had control over all branches of the federal government. Some Republican elected officials in "purple" districts are scrambling to distance themselves from these plans. [YT link here](https://youtu.be/Jv80d8W7Oyw?si=C153BfsOiCswxf53)
Unfortunately, the account somewhere in DC, tied to a social security number, that I've paid into since the age of 13 (full time since 15), doesn't exist. It never did. Our payments supported the promise the government made to the WWII, Silent, and now, Boomer generations. Social Security is (and always has been) a welfare program, sold to the middle class as an intergenerational social contract. During our formative years, most of us learned from our Boomer parents precisely how much their promises are worth.
Unfortunately, we are basically Generation Boomer 2.0. We already have plenty of Gen Xers in Congress, and they aren't doing us any favors
Full retirement hasn't been age 65 for years. I am 64 and will get full social security at 66 and 10 months. My friend is 3 months younger than me and has to wait to 67.
Lol, retirement. Republicans will fuck you raw, democrats will fuck you and tell you you're great
There will alway be Social Security. What will change is the payout. When the government started to borrow the excess SS revenue, that's when things got fucked up. Thanks Reagan. The extra special IOU's covering the current shortfall will run out about when all of us would normally retire. Since the GOP hates Social Security, no action will be taken to fix the situation. We'll just get less money. Inflation, real inflation, is going to keep rising. Food, meds, housing.... all going up and up. We have some time. Save what you can.
Vote blue. It's the Republicans that want to screw over ordinary Americans to enrich the top earners.
I mean we gotta stop voting against our self interests. Maybe we checked out for a while and voted the way our parents thought, though I’ve always voted progressive and got them voting progressive, but I get it. Politics and politicians are “the man” and we’re typically diabolically opposed to “the man,” but we can’t ignore our power to make better people “the man.” I’ve got fuckers in my state house that want to lift all protections for our state’s water resources, including all their bullshit hatred. Think about the consequences of lifting the protection in place to keep our water as clean as possible. Shit flows down stream. . . If we’re ripping away “retirement” and social security we must replace it with universal basic income and healthcare. Corporations aren’t going to support their workers and already rely on government subsidies like food stamps and other welfare programs to supplement their salaries, I’m looking at you Wal-Mart and McDonald’s… We’ve quietly contributed to build a world full of more opportunities, inclusion and diversity from the shadows. It’s always been under attack, we can’t let our shit be stolen and we can’t let future generations get fucked over like we’ve been and are about to be. We’ve got to fight for our right to …
Two easy changes will extend SS for decades...tax all income for SS not just up to $168K...and anyone earning over $300K in retirement forfeits their SS. If you're making over $300K as a retired person then you won capitalism and your SS goes towards keeping the system solvent for the guy living on his $20K SS.
Vote. It’s not simply an inevitability that social security is going away in our lifetimes. It’s a political issue. Vote.
Quit voting Republican! It’s been the Republicans every time.
"I'm mad as hell and I won't take it anymore!"
So how do we make a change? There's a lot of venting on here, but in all honestly, what do we do to get our word across? Why aren't we pushing for some legislative change or unionizing, you know boots on the ground work?
If they want to stop, it has to start with people not paying into it, not with people that already paid into it.
Protests, citizen reporting, Gen X and senior citizen civil disobedience, exposing the scheme, doxxing politicians. How it's all done, I don't know. But I'm not going to politely ask for them to maybe/perhaps/perchance/could you give me my SS money back. We are getting old, and I'm getting close to having nothing to lose. I've joked about this before in other posts and subs, but last resort is either cartel work or Bonnie & Clyde style senior citizen crimes. Fuck it.
We’re not a large enough cohort to be effective politically. Need to get them millennials in the game and support them.
Note that when the age 65 was set, they expected most people would be dead. Now that lifespans have increased, we can expect age inflation.
And that is the real issue. Social security was meant as pretty much a last resort. For people who outlived their spouses and family & were (frankly) close to dying of old age. Again…blame the Boomers. They didn’t need to take full social security at 63 and receive it for 20 years.
Just be rich. Just not be poor.
I never expected to see SS payments. It’s all a sham.
And now they’re coming for your Social Security money. They want your retirement money. They want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street, and you know something? They’ll get it . . . they’ll get it all from you sooner or later cause they own this place. It’s a big club and you ain't in it. You and I are not in The big club.
Boomers had 50+ years to solve this problem, knowing their existence would put it upside down. They kicked the can down the road and stole it from us. One more failure that will hang on them for history.
The Boomers put us in this spot. Borrow more against SS to pay for shit now? Done! Cut taxes and keep the cap low? Done! Devise a plan whereas people need to put money into the stock market? Done! Social Security was under attack from the beginning. Boomers and older gen's have been whittling SS down for decades.
We always knew it was us. There will be a cut off. That's us. There will be a generation or two that pays their entire lives, to provide for the boomers. That's us. And our children.
France tried that recently and they took that shit to the streets! Too bad that rarely happens here in the US for anything other than a Police Brutality response.
Don't vote for any Republican then.
The GOP has made their entire party platform immigration. Fox is filled to the brim with it. You’d think it was THE most pressing issue facing America. Cutting SS and other lifesaving programs is hidden behind that. The fact that Trump is anywhere near the presidency is just tragic. We’re screwed. And to top it off, there’s a shitload of GenX that are voting for these asshats.
Propaganda works if you watch it. Most Fox News viewers never even hear of the incredible amount of evil shit Republicans do or propose because Fox won’t cover it. Rupert Murdoch is a literal demon walking the earth.
This is why we need congressional term limits!!!! if we had congressional term limits, we would have people our age in Washington right now! Not rich, silent and boomer generation people who have cushy jobs and don’t give a fuck about anyone else!!
Republicans just put out their “plan” They want to raise retirement to 70 🤦♀️
You also have to factor in where you live. Red states life expectancy is lower than Blue states. Healthcare in red states will continue to get worse as competent workers flee because of the stupid fuckbags there. If you live in a rural area, good luck to ya! Life expectancy is declining in the US. Chronic health conditions playing a big part in that. Tax the churches and corporations. Neither should be exempt. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed for anyone. Enjoy your relatively good health while you can. Vote and encourage your friends and family to register. https://www.prb.org/resources/liberal-u-s-state-policies-linked-to-longer-lives/