Social Security, are you making ends meet living off of it

a reply to: rickymouse

Our "bar" for retiring is having the house paid off, X dollars in the 403b.

After that?

Party time on the lido deck!

a reply to: musicismagic

Yah its not great here for the oldies,they are struggling....i was in a shopping centre a year or 2 ago and an old man in front of me dropped a $100 bill and did not notice,i scooped it up chased him down and gave it to him.....he was shocked,he came and found me 5 minutes later in the supermarket and tried to giver me $20 which i refused,he looked me in the eye held his hand to his heart and couldn't thank me enough,he then went on to tell me it was his neighbors money and had he lost it he would not have eaten at all that week....

We live in a world where everyone should be fed and housed,this is a disgrace in my mind and i think those that hoard the money and make the rules are evil pieces of #

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: rickymouse

Our "bar" for retiring is having the house paid off, X dollars in the 403b.

After that?

Party time on the lido deck!

I was always out doing something years ago. We were constantly on the go. We ate out a lot, if we had been cooking at home we could have retired years ago. Too much supporting the economy and not enough investigating how our citizens are conditioned. So now I do not want to do much other than to take care of the garden, yard, and cut and split firewood. Our favorite passtime is going to the grocery store with coupons for food and maintaining our food pantry. It's actually fun making all sort of stuff from scratch and investigating how they cooked a hundred years ago. We are trying to get away from using power kitchen tools to get the old feel of things. But you know, that is just a hobby, the mixer comes out when we make box cake mixes.

The whole welfare system is another scam run by our corrupt governments, it astounds me how we will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to put someone in the prison system, often for very minor things, yet give basic honest people nothing to live off.

I see it like this. The shareholders hate the management as they eat into the profits, the management hate the workers as they eat into the profits and the workers hate the unemployed as the poor sods have to hate someone.

It is time to kill the greedy and feed the poor. We can not all live for ever, and it is not like there is a shortage of our breed. And who knows if you off the right persons the world might become a better place. At least there monies might get redistributed.

Remember if you have ever worked for years and found that after a week or two after leaving the company you are broke you have been exploited, the bottom line is you were never paid enough to have a future. Be certain that the greedy have your money, mine and every other poor sods future hidden in a bank or other cash stock pile.


Just my 2 cents

a reply to: marsend

I know I'm going to be hitting a hornets nest;

Since when was it the role and responsibility for government to secure retirement?

Retirement should be up to the individual.

a reply to: beezzer

That's a hard one I guess, is not the government meant to be the representative of the people for the people by the people, I may have it wrong. If this is the case then the people owe it to them selves to look after the unlucky, the non greedy, the non slippery types, who don't know how to rip others off via doggy employment rates and unfair employment conditions to get a head. What makes anyone worth a thousand times the salary of another.

Funny we begrudge people on welfare yet waste millions on rubbish, but that is ok according to the rich and employed which I do not get. Personally I think many are better off in our prison systems, three meals a bed and warmth is better then a cardboard box and nothing but harassment. And yes I have worked for all types of scum in my life.

a reply to: marsend

Governments have no capability for compassion.

Only people do.

It is not the role of government to be the parent, or neighbor, or "brother's keeper" to those who need help.

But too many, for too long have ceded any and all responsibility and compassion and have let and allowed government to fill that role.

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: marsend

I know I'm going to be hitting a hornets nest;

Since when was it the role and responsibility for government to secure retirement?

Retirement should be up to the individual.

Americans pay into a program called Social Security. It is government run and won't disappear. People talk about 401k stuff, it's my understanding you give money to other people to invest it for you. In my opinion, that's a no no. I don't trust people, but trust the US govt, but the problem is the US govt is always changing the age limit. They are trying to push it above 67 in order to collect it. That stinks.

But this is what social security is: Generally, the term social security describes a program that uses public funds to provide a degree of economic security for the public. The specific social security discussed here is the United States government program established in 1935 that provides old age, disability, and survivors insurance, as well as supplemental security income, an income for elderly or disabled people.

If you read it correctly, it means you work till you drop or no longer able to work. Kind of catches everyone in the same net. Either way, life is getting real hard when us old folks even have to think about shoplifting food to survive in a country like Japan. I'll write more about the pension scheme in a bit.

a reply to: beezzer

You appear to negate the fact that our governments exist because of the people in them, unfortunately some of these people are greedy and power hungry, which is not in the interests of the people they govern.

Often you do not need to chop the whole tree down, to make the tree healthier. In such selective pruning often has a fare better result as an example of my thoughts.

You appear to neglect or to not accept that the government became the parent, the neighbour and thy brother's keeper a very long time ago. They have controlled most of our lives in every way since we were born, that is in our western countries of course. A simple example is that they control / set the basic wages and conditions as an example, yet the same group give them selves pay rises at every opportunity.

peace

musicismagic - For those of us without a union pension and no savings ( yes I mean no savings, no home equity, no nothing but a 15 year old car), how are you faring?

What is the main thing that you have to deal with on an everyday basis. Here us old folks have turned to shop lifting to make ends meet.

Boy do these statements hit home with me. Here us old folks have to, at times, resort to shop lifting just to get enough essentials just to last the month, too. I don't feel good about it, but sometimes it's the ONLY way.....

If we could get our Medicare paid for by the government, the portion they take from our SS checks, it would be a big help for people.

A lot of people don't realize that $104 comes right out of your SS payment. $104 dollars could go a long ways to help people out.

A BIG portion. I'm on disability and worked my whole life. My monthly amount should be over $1200, but with the $104 then money for RX and supplemental, I'm down to $1069/monthly. After my share of rent, utilities, etc.....it does not leave much for food. I do get $70 in food stamps, but at todays prices I've turned to using it for essential food items only. And, a little meat.

Fortunately, I live with my brother and he has been paying half until this month. He was admitted to hospital and had surgery with another one coming up next month. So, I'm paying everything and had only $20 left over this month!! We did stock up on meat in the 2 months before his became ill.....thank you Lord!! But that is started to take a hit now.

I buy a lot of ramon noodles cause they are cheap and filling. But we eat nothing but hamburg and chicken.......I'm trying not to worry so much but it's hard as we are just a check away from being homeless.

I did appeal to all my utility companies for help and they do help out low income people like me. Thank you God again...The only reason I have internet is because I got rid of my cell phone and got a landline & dsl and they charge me only $35/monthly for both!! Because my income is so low.

I do appreciate what I have- I've been homeless (18 months) and lost everything Mom & I owned when she passed. So I am thankful that I have a place, but it is frustrating to be trapped by rising prices of EVERYTHING when your income does not increase at the same rate. And the main thing I worry over is money for food.

Rougher times are coming, I believe.....for us all.

a reply to: Hidinout

There are people I know of in the U.K. who are still working at least part-time even though they are over 90 years old. When you think about it, that is going to be the answer - businesses will stop giving out retirement packages because they are too greedy and the government won't help out because it will run out of money -

so therefore you will probably have a lot of people who simply don't retire.

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: marsend


Retirement should be up to the individual.

What about the corporations that individuals devote their lives working for? How come they aren't stepping up to the plate?

I am on disability, supporting my partner and her kids while she is going back to school. It is very difficult to make ends meet. We pray every month that no unexpected expenses hit. It's rough for my partner to go back to school at 50 years old just to get a job. She is going into nursing, which will make it possible for her to earn some decent money. Frankly, I just hope we can get through the next year. Then I can take a deep breath and not worry quite as much. Not that I have any illusions that we will be rich but maybe we won't end up on the streets.

originally posted by: darkbake

originally posted by: beezzer
a reply to: marsend


Retirement should be up to the individual.

What about the corporations that individuals devote their lives working for? How come they aren't stepping up to the plate?

Shouldn't that be the individuals decision?

If my company did not provide a retirement package, then I would either;
a) Find another job
b) Create my own retirement package

My Grandmother gets $950 a month in social security - Without the financial support of myself and my father, she would be destitute. She worked most of her life in a low wage factory job (making t-shirts). She doesn't receive a survivor benefit as my grandfather was a bit of a character,and never had a "legitimate" on the books job, so never received social security. He supplemented their income after my grandmother "retired" (she lost her job, and had sporadic employment until she was old enough to collect SS) by antique dealing, and pool hustling (he actually died while playing a game of pool at a local bar, well into his 80's).

That $950 covers her rent, with very little left over. My father and I buy food, pay the utilities, give her a little spending cash, and secure her transportation - she's a tough old school lady, and too proud to get any type of public assistance - but I am more then happy to help her out - she helped me no matter what financial condition she was in when I needed it - So it is only fair I am willing to do the same now that I am in the position to help.

The current working poor are in-line to have an even harder time then my Grandmother had by the time they're ready to collect SS.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: musicismagic

Yah its not great here for the oldies,they are struggling....i was in a shopping centre a year or 2 ago and an old man in front of me dropped a $100 bill and did not notice,i scooped it up chased him down and gave it to him.....he was shocked,he came and found me 5 minutes later in the supermarket and tried to giver me $20 which i refused,he looked me in the eye held his hand to his heart and couldn't thank me enough,he then went on to tell me it was his neighbors money and had he lost it he would not have eaten at all that week....

We live in a world where everyone should be fed and housed,this is a disgrace in my mind and i think those that hoard the money and make the rules are evil pieces of #

It is a disgrace. How does Greece with their mere billion dollar deficit get on the news, while the U.S.A. has a TRILLION dollar defict? Please explain that to me. At this point we should be talking about the GREAT AMEXIT. Leaving the American dollar for the Amero. Right? Somehow, it kind of makes sense. Unfortunately.

a reply to: Kratos40

It is a disgrace. How does Greece with their mere billion dollar deficit get on the news, while the U.S.A. has a TRILLION dollar defict? Please explain that to me.

Well it is something to do with Greece not paying back into the piggy bank and the U.S is still,you can bet you will hear about it the U.S does default....then again these debts they talk of are on just digits on a screen as countries do not trade with each other in physical money,the numbers are created through imports and exports....then again i am not the best person to answer this,many people on this site could do a much better job of an explanation than i will......

Anyhow...it is a disgrace and change needs to be implemented somehow...

a reply to: beezzer

Your comment makes me think of someone without much experience in this life, and I do not mean driving around looking out the window of your car, or seeing a foreign place through a hotel window or from 30'000 feet as you fly over it.

Or are you one of the lucky ones, who has it all and thinks that others have a choice when it comes to paying the greedy land lord, or the slippery utility company, or getting a better deal through one way negotiations with an employer. Come back when you have walked in their shoes and know what it is like to live of SFA. While the corrupt, the sneaky, the greedy dine in restaurants and sleep in warm beds.

Something is terribly wrong, the pitch forks are coming

I have been on a disablity pension for 10 years and will start on SS the first of next year.

I bought a 34 foot RV a few years ago to live in because apartments were so expensive where i live.
I pay only $300 a month for space rent at the RV park.

I am a service connected veteran and get all my medical done at the VA.

I also MAY have a company retirement bu do not know how much as the original company split into two companies and they dumped all the retirement liabilities on one company that then went bankrupt.
The other half of the company was a major oil company that merged with another company after dumping all there liabilities.

a reply to: ANNED

So what you are saying is that some slippery greedy scum stole your money in one way or another, while some other slippery official legislated to protect the thieves and profit in some fashion from the theft of your money. And now after all you have done in this life you get SFA, and nothing but stress and hardship, but hey that's ok. Is it!