AUTHOR: bbbobbins on 10/11/2024 FIRST: Ben Rodriguez on 10/11/2024 | RECENT: Billy McKelvy on 10/15/2024
Comments
But if it was entirely from current taxes there would be no need for a trust fund. That's what I mean. Easy to fudge SS if you overlook hypothecation of taxes for political expediency. It's all ultimately a game of who is holding the bag when it gets real.
There's no rulebook that says you have to travel. And I'd agree that enough airport travel takes the shine off any desire to willingly subject oneself to it. But I think you're probably not in the top half of homebodies - just from what you've said you're probably doing as much as what most Americans mean when they say they intend to travel more in retirement. And remember that intent is also relative to a baseline which for US citizens may be quite low - cruises round the Caribbean maybe technically count as international travel but they aren't exactly pushing the envelope. I do think social media is a blessing and a curse when it comes to travel. You can research almost anything to death with walkthough videos etc but it can take away the spontaneity. I'm a child of the book a flight, buy a copy of Lonely Planet and work it out on the ground era. Of course that's relatively pampered compared to the hippies who wrote those first editions. Nowadays I suspect a lot of travel is curated for instagram/tik tok tick lists.
I'd suspect most HD could ride it out just fine. For the rest I'd guess it's a risk to be aware of but you can't directly hedge for everything. When it comes to something which would be a catastrophic grey vote loser (& remembering the greys vote most) it would be far easier to fudge the programme and make it a ponzi scheme from current taxes like other countries do.
As I was swimming in a lake Monday early evening after a hot day (unusual for a UK public holiday) I clearly validated that it's the simple time to do simple things that is the real reward of retirement. Re grandkids - I also think they probably benefit from the distance from parents and as a result are less likely to act up or have the usual pushback on stuff. So it works both ways as a relief from the intensity of a parent-child relationship.
I wasn't sure on the compounding so thanks. I favour an approach that assumes that COLA on the SS equals discount rate for PV purposes so you can compare everything in today £/$
Exactly - the downvotes and pushbacks he gets are because of the "never back down" persona he presents. Plus a sense that he's not really interested in understanding the answers he gets from people because they don't align with his immovable worldview. With a soupcon of his "it doesn't matter anyway - look how well I've done anyway" attitude rather than ever acknowledging merit in any other approach.
Markets go down as well as up. Say RDQ draws his SS early and leaves the equivalent in the market and the market tanks 50%. How does he feel then vs the person who took the money out of the market for their short term income and gets a higher SS income? You can't evaluate risk in hindsight based on muddling your way through it. You use the word "risk" but only in terms of your own biases and not in the accepted way around taking on or offloading market risk.
Comments
But if it was entirely from current taxes there would be no need for a trust fund. That's what I mean. Easy to fudge SS if you overlook hypothecation of taxes for political expediency. It's all ultimately a game of who is holding the bag when it gets real.
Post: Dealing with a reduction in Social Security benefits. Is there a backup plan?
Link to comment from August 28, 2025
There's no rulebook that says you have to travel. And I'd agree that enough airport travel takes the shine off any desire to willingly subject oneself to it. But I think you're probably not in the top half of homebodies - just from what you've said you're probably doing as much as what most Americans mean when they say they intend to travel more in retirement. And remember that intent is also relative to a baseline which for US citizens may be quite low - cruises round the Caribbean maybe technically count as international travel but they aren't exactly pushing the envelope. I do think social media is a blessing and a curse when it comes to travel. You can research almost anything to death with walkthough videos etc but it can take away the spontaneity. I'm a child of the book a flight, buy a copy of Lonely Planet and work it out on the ground era. Of course that's relatively pampered compared to the hippies who wrote those first editions. Nowadays I suspect a lot of travel is curated for instagram/tik tok tick lists.
Post: What If You Don’t Want to See the World?
Link to comment from August 28, 2025
I'd suspect most HD could ride it out just fine. For the rest I'd guess it's a risk to be aware of but you can't directly hedge for everything. When it comes to something which would be a catastrophic grey vote loser (& remembering the greys vote most) it would be far easier to fudge the programme and make it a ponzi scheme from current taxes like other countries do.
Post: Dealing with a reduction in Social Security benefits. Is there a backup plan?
Link to comment from August 27, 2025
As I was swimming in a lake Monday early evening after a hot day (unusual for a UK public holiday) I clearly validated that it's the simple time to do simple things that is the real reward of retirement. Re grandkids - I also think they probably benefit from the distance from parents and as a result are less likely to act up or have the usual pushback on stuff. So it works both ways as a relief from the intensity of a parent-child relationship.
Post: A Summer of Shared Memories
Link to comment from August 27, 2025
I assume AI didn't write this irony.
Post: The Most Cited Websites By AI Models
Link to comment from August 23, 2025
I wasn't sure on the compounding so thanks. I favour an approach that assumes that COLA on the SS equals discount rate for PV purposes so you can compare everything in today £/$
Post: Rehashing the age 70 thing. Tell Dear Dickie what is it that he doesn’t get about SS at age 70?
Link to comment from August 22, 2025
Exactly - the downvotes and pushbacks he gets are because of the "never back down" persona he presents. Plus a sense that he's not really interested in understanding the answers he gets from people because they don't align with his immovable worldview. With a soupcon of his "it doesn't matter anyway - look how well I've done anyway" attitude rather than ever acknowledging merit in any other approach.
Post: Rehashing the age 70 thing. Tell Dear Dickie what is it that he doesn’t get about SS at age 70?
Link to comment from August 22, 2025
Markets go down as well as up. Say RDQ draws his SS early and leaves the equivalent in the market and the market tanks 50%. How does he feel then vs the person who took the money out of the market for their short term income and gets a higher SS income? You can't evaluate risk in hindsight based on muddling your way through it. You use the word "risk" but only in terms of your own biases and not in the accepted way around taking on or offloading market risk.
Post: Rehashing the age 70 thing. Tell Dear Dickie what is it that he doesn’t get about SS at age 70?
Link to comment from August 21, 2025
And what do you do in the afternoon?
Post: Bah Humbug! It’s Not Even September Yet
Link to comment from August 21, 2025
No one who prefers cats is right ;)
Post: Rehashing the age 70 thing. Tell Dear Dickie what is it that he doesn’t get about SS at age 70?
Link to comment from August 21, 2025