Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me When I'm 64?

The annual report on Social Security is out. The insolvency date is now 2042, though the economist I heard on NPR tonight said this is probably optimistic, since it is arrived at by calculating the money paid in and the money paid out for a year, and doesn't take into account the promises made to future beneficiaries. Me, for example.

In 2042, I will turn 64. Is it any wonder I don't much care what happens to Social Security? I'll spend the next thirty-odd years watching money get siphoned off my wages, only to see the system I pay into disappear right before I get to reap benefits. When I get my annual Social Security statement, I just sigh and look at all the money I'm working for and will never see, then call up my financial planner and see how much more I need to squirrel away so I can actually retire myself.

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