How many Gen X are counting on Social Security?

[flogxal]

Boomers had nothing to do with the Social Security Act of 1935 because they weren’t even born yet. It was a Marxist Progressive era scam passed under FDR when the Missionary, Lost, GI, and Silent Generations were alive. Silent had nothing to do with it because they weren’t of voting age, not that Congress was running a clean ship when it came to voting then either.

Missionary Gen born 1860-1882
Lost Gen born 1883-1900
GI Gen born 1901-1924 (grew up during the Depression and fought WWII)
Silent Gen born 1925-1942/1945
Baby Boomer Gen born 1943/1946-1961/1963
Gen X born ~1964/1965-1980/1981

Gen X is relatively small and not as influential in voting because we are out-numbered by both Baby Boomers and Millennials.

How does this work, in practice?

Because you are given a Label, then you are obligated to conform to the Label's description?

Biology doesn't look at humans this way. Births, deaths, always happening. Not lumps and clumps divided into cleverly named "generations" with Labels.

The years chosen as bookends are arbitrary and have zero to do with human biology.

I recognize these are the unofficial Brackets for this Label regime, but I wonder if they have anything to do with the exact year in which you are born. I've said in a different comment, I think it has more to do with not just when you were born, but where, and what schools you attended (what they taught/how they taught), and whether you family taught you any values.

The best outcome I see for the Labels being useful is this: in each of those bookended Label periods, a different theory was pushed in schools, and otherwise. So it has less to do with when you were born, and more to do with what sorts of teachings were available in school or in culture. Which still leaves out parental values teaching. So were those values targeted in 20-year blocks, with different strategies?

 

[theLBC]

i plan to draw benefits as soon as i can. it takes a long time for the difference in payments to equal the amount you would have received already.
i think if i wait until 67, it will take until i am 80ish before the difference pays me back for not taking benefits sooner.

 

[Lightning8]

i plan to draw benefits as soon as i can. it takes a long time for the difference in payments to equal the amount you would have received already.
i think if i wait until 67, it will take until i am 80ish before the difference pays me back for not taking benefits sooner.

Correct. I have seen it stated that 84 (or similar) is the magic age - if you pass before 84 better to draw early. If you pass after 84, better to wait. Assumes you know or can predict your death.

 

[Soulezoo]

We will be 150 trillion in debt by 2050......

We are all fucked.....except welfare and illegals.

Doc

And Nancy Pelosi.... even BFC wouldn't touch her.

 

[sakoguy21]

Not counting on anything. Not figured into my budget. That being said I'm drawing the first fucking day I'm eligible. Get something back.

 

[LuckyDuck]

I don't mean this to come across as a slight against the OP as I understand the basis of their POV and question. But if allowed a bit of leeway- I'd suggest that the more appropriate question to be asked and discussed is whether the Social Security model is sustainable and (if not) when does it finally "break". And if the determination is unsustainable, it'd likely be a more healthy discussion to focus on the when then to ask which proverbial "generation" is officially screwed by bad governance of a potentially poor program.

As others have pointed out in this thread- it wouldn't be exactly fair to blame any potential Social Security failures on the "Boomers". The Social Security Act was signed into law in 1935 under FDR largely as a reaction to the ongoing Depression the country was in. The first check was issued to Ida Fuller in 1940. Considering the 'Boomer' Generation didn't come about until the mid 40's at the earliest, I maintain that in that regard at least it'd be hard to intellectually hold them 'accountable' for the origins. Of course Social Security went through some changes in the 70's and early 80's but even then the 'Boomer' generation didn't exactly hold much political sway in voting for any of the major updates. Of course one could argue that once the 'Boomer' generation came into their own they squandered the opportunity to 'fix' Social Security for about five decades but I don't think that's what we're discussing here. We can discuss the expansion of the original intent of Social Security and the changes that came about with (1) taxing it as income, (2) including disability component as taking from the coffers, (3) moving the income received for the program into the general funds, or even (4) allowing folks that never paid into the program to qualify for it's benefits. But once again, I don't think that's what the OP intended to be discussed here.

I will say though, that when we argue about Gen 'whatever' vs whatever other gen is convenient for the narrative, we all lose collectively. Just like how we argue Republicans/Democrats, Race X/Race Y, Income households of X vs Y, etc, you can add your own examples to fit your mindset. But (in my opinion at least) all this serves is to further divide us and keep us fighting against each other rather than providing a unified response to the (potentially) egregiously govt run program that many of us were dependent on but needed us to look the other way like a street magician to pull off the illusion that it's the crowd witnessing said performance collectively. We all know we're being fooled, but we continue to argue amongst ourselves on why we were fooled rather than focusing on the root cause of the angst.

Anyway- I've ranted long enough on this topic for tonight and that's my two cents.

-LD

 

[AmmoFort]

With an ‘85 birth date, I’ll never see it. Pisses me off to no end, that the government forces me to pay into a benefit for my future that I’ll never see. I could invest that money in a fucking savings account and see better returns than social security. Archaic and outdated concept.

From my understanding technically the government didn't force you into anything. Your parents signed you up. My wife and I talked about it, but everything seems like there is an extra hurdle you face without being in the social security system. So we signed them into the system...which is just retarded. I know we'd all like to have been socking that money away ourselves...

@BJames

 

[Kamerad]

The speed at which paradigms are shifting these days, whose projections are worth anything?

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

You need to research why the S/S trust fund (that was bulging at the seams) was rolled into the general fund in 1965, via LBJ. Then understand how pitting one group against another further sows distrust & confusion. The agenda being ran on the American people, is helped along by those who are easily hoodwinked. As time goes on the none thinkers/researchers, are digging their own hole to the point, they are pilling the dirt on top of their selves faster & faster.

Oh gee thanks for pointing that out.... No I don't, I'm familiar with lbj and all that he did. (Though fdr did a lot of damage as well) I'm also familiar with the fact that the current recipients are getting the money that I put in which I won't ever see, are you saying this isn't true? It is what it is, and I'm not relying on gubmemt for anything anyway, be that as it may, what I said is fact even if you don't like it. Me pointing this out is hardly pitting anyone against anything, it just is what it is.

 

[E. Bryant]

Boomers had nothing to do with the Social Security Act of 1935 because they weren’t even born yet. It was a Marxist Progressive era scam passed under FDR when the Missionary, Lost, GI, and Silent Generations were alive. Silent had nothing to do with it because they weren’t of voting age, not that Congress was running a clean ship when it came to voting then either.

Missionary Gen born 1860-1882
Lost Gen born 1883-1900
GI Gen born 1901-1924 (grew up during the Depression and fought WWII)
Silent Gen born 1925-1942/1945
Baby Boomer Gen born 1943/1946-1961/1963
Gen X born ~1964/1965-1980/1981

Gen X is relatively small and not as influential in voting because we are out-numbered by both Baby Boomers and Millennials.

The Boomers have been in charge for the past few decades, and choose to ignore the problem since they will have looted the taxpayer and shuffled off this mortal coil by the time the program's financials blow up. They get the bulk of the blame.

Gen X picks up the rest for not even trying to earn representation in government.

The Millennials and Zoomers will eventually get their turn in the barrel, because I have zero faith that they will implement any workable solutions.

 

[E. Bryant]

The speed at which paradigms are shifting these days, whose projections are worth anything?

I didn't have much faith in specific dates, but the trajectory of population demographics is pretty reliable.

There are only a couple paradigm shifts that will save SS:

1) Means-testing of recipients
2) Monetary inflation sufficiently large that the full nominal benefit is realized by future retirees, but the real value is sharply decreased or nearly non-existent

One of these is far more likely than the other, and is basically the same as an actual default.

 

[W54/XM-388]

I didn't have much faith in specific dates, but the trajectory of population demographics is pretty reliable.

There are only a couple paradigm shifts that will save SS:

1) Means-testing of recipients
2) Monetary inflation sufficiently large that the full nominal benefit is realized by future retirees, but the real value is sharply decreased or nearly non-existent

One of these is far more likely than the other, and is basically the same as an actual default.

Means testing is essentially theft.
Yes they WILL try to get all the stupids to cheer for it to "stick it to those rich folks".

BUT ask yourself

Who paid the most into SS?

The "needy" folks who are broke?
Or the hard working industrious type that made a lot of money and probably have a good amount of savings

What you want by "means testing" is the government to punish those who worked hard and paid the most into the system and were frugal and saved and made wise investment choices, by stripping them of their hard earned and previously guaranteed payouts.

All to support those who didn't pay enough on anything in and didn't make wise choices.

Remember for many of us who work hard to earn good money, not only does the government force us to give up $21,000 each year + $4872 + an additional tax of essentially 1% of your salary over the cap amount. And that's not including "income tax" that's just the amount to support social security+medicare alone. Then the government wants all that income tax as well and then the state, and local governments come looking for their cut as well.

Try paying that for some 20 to 40 years and you'll bet you are going to be pretty up in arms angry at some blowhards suggesting you get nothing because you also made wise investment and savings choices.

That's how the government always wins and tyrants always succeed.

They get the stupid people to fight against each other using envy and greed.

In my opinion a "rich person" has even more right to their full SS payments than some "poor person" because most likely the "rich person" actually paid and supported the whole system to a much greater extent and probably used way less government services and benefits.

Really what would fix SS for good is getting rid of this whole "socialized welfare" business and making it true individual retirement accounts with payouts based on your actual contributions and actual real rates of return on safe investments and not having your funds pilfered to pay for others.

But then that would destroy the whole reason for it which is government power, control and more government money to spend.

 

[E. Bryant]

Means testing is essentially theft.

All taxation is theft, and SS is a tax no matter what people want to think of it.

 

[W54/XM-388]

All taxation is theft, and SS is a tax no matter what people want to think of it.

Exactly

And just in case anyone wasn't clear on that, as I recall, the Supreme Court did rule that SS is "a tax" and that the government doesn't actually have any obligation to pay you "your SS" if they want to just change the rules one day.

 

[vinniedelpino]

Paying in for the last 25 years (with another 30 or so to go) knowing damn well I'll likely never see a dime of that money sucks.

Hearing elders complain that they're entitle to those benefits without even entertaining a reduction is infuriating.

They're the largest generation to influence economic and political trends for the last 50 years... That's an undeniable fact. They also consumed (collectively) trillions more than they produced. Also an undeniable fact.

You can point your fingers at politicians and make up any excuse you want, but at the end of the day history will remember each generation's contribution for what it was. Passing this problem on to future generations without making any effort to resolve it is disgraceful.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Interesting to see how many buy into its xzy generations fault, yet these same people do nothing about present day problems, why would that be?
Like in all things, easy to B/S the fans, but you'll never B/S a player.
Who are those fueling the divide & what is their end game. That answer is very simple once you stop & think.

 

[TexPatriot]

It takes a real hater of white middle class America, the one that built this country and what is the backbone of the economy, to do that. *cough Obama/Soro/Klause Schwab cough*.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Interesting to see how many buy into its xzy generations fault, yet these same people do nothing about present day problems, why would that be?
Like in all things, easy to B/S the fans, but you'll never B/S a player.
Who are those fueling the divide & what is their end game. That answer is very simple once you stop & think.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

View attachment 8442014

Spot on, but the none thinkers will never get it.
It would be truly interesting to know who in this thread voted for,... klinton, bush, bummer, trump, & FJB. Its almost a given the percentage is large, once you read some of their posting. Easy for many to lock step when they stand for nothing but which way is the wind blowing right now.
Its because of people like that this country is so fucked up & getting worse, by the day now.
Their utopia, like their decisions is based upon other people doing all the heavy lifting, while they cheeto their phones up 24/7 on the couch.

 

[vinniedelpino]

Interesting to see how many buy into its xzy generations fault, yet these same people do nothing about present day problems, why would that be?
Like in all things, easy to B/S the fans, but you'll never B/S a player.
Who are those fueling the divide & what is their end game. That answer is very simple once you stop & think.

It doesn’t even matter which generations are to blame. There’s a problem that needs to be fixed and we’ve identified that problem long ago. Despite acknowledging the problem, we’ve continued to kick the can down the road.

Now let’s ALL come together and fix the fucking problem. I’m at peace with getting shafted on SS and have funded my retirement accounts accordingly. Asking the 60+ population to take a small cut in benefits hardly seems unreasonable given the circumstances. I’m willing to take a bigger loss than you.

But no… suggesting something like that elicits a flood of bullshit entitlement and deflection. You just did it right there with some cryptic line about the powers that be conspiring against us. Maybe you’re right and I’m on board with removing them. Nevertheless… we still need to fix this damn problem.

 

[Ann Ominous]

No way I’ll get it… also what’s the consensus google is telling me I’m a millennial. I was born in 82 and I defiantly don’t feel like a millennial

 

[flogxal]

Spot on, but the none thinkers will never get it.
It would be truly interesting to know who in this thread voted for,... klinton, bush, bummer, trump, & FJB. Its almost a given the percentage is large, once you read some of their posting. Easy for many to lock step when they stand for nothing but which way is the wind blowing right now.
Its because of people like that this country is so fucked up & getting worse, by the day now.
Their utopia, like their decisions is based upon other people doing all the heavy lifting, while they cheeto their phones up 24/7 on the couch.

25+ yrs from now, people will look back on this era (I'd say 90s-present) as the period when Americans got heavily distracted from civic awareness (actual backgrounds of who they vote for, and how their tax $$ are spent) and paid more attention to their distractions, than their awareness of politician, govt, and business activities.

Some people say it's because everyone's got so much $$ to spend (whether via credit card or actual income) and because they are relatively comfortable, they don't have to care about civic awareness.

All I know is that the distractions are winning, and civic awareness is not even in the game these days. I'd say it is connected to a lack of critical thought, and a lack of education including critical thinking. Modern public schools often say they are encouraging "critical thought" but it's rarely, if ever, holistically critical. Most modern public schooling "critical thought" is aimed at undermining cultural foundations.

 

[Ann Ominous]

We import everything. We don’t build anything ourselves (micro not macro) we don’t grow our own food. And we no longer take responsibility for what our children learn. It’s all imported/farmed out however you want to word it. We no longer do anything ourselves and therefore justify it as someone else’s fault because we are not directly responsible for the out come. This of corse is a lie.

 

[Ann Ominous]

Also. So that means it’s the millennials fault right???

 

[Green461]

I quit paying into it 9 years ago.... I can save my money all by myself, no need for a govt to do it, or pretend to.

 

[Fig]

To the OP

 

[Inifinty]

I quit paying into it 9 years ago.... I can save my money all by myself, no need for a govt to do it, or pretend to.

How does one do that, move offshore and renounce your citizenship?

 

[Fig]

People who work for the Rail Roads have an exemption and don't have to pay into the Ponzie/Pyramid Scheme. They have an actual pension fund with actual money and actual earnings. Lots of European countries also have actual national pensions with real money that is actually invested. SS was sold with massive lies, and it has continued only to make the political class obscenely wealthy.

Now that the debt service is bigger than the SS money, and neither side will so what's necessary to fix it, everything is going to crash. Just more evidence that Progressives have and are destroying our country.

 

[Green461]

How does one do that, move offshore and renounce your citizenship?

I am not an employee. Have my own LLC . Whatever money it makes it pays taxes on at the end of the year. I am an S-corp so that eliminates the self employment tax of 15.3% which is 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Its an entity so it doesnt pay any of that BS. I am a contractor been contracting for the same company 9 years.
I have a good tax man/accountant.

As an individual employee working for someone... not sure how you'd do it. Form an LLC as an S-corporation and then wherever you work or whatever you do you would not be hired by them but work as a contractor contracted by them.

I am not a pro at this... its things I had no idea existed years ago, stuff they dont teach in schools. They want you to be a wage slave, an employee, its insane how much they get taxed and have to pay.. I pay roughly .015% tax at the end of the year.... and nothing durng the year. SS is a scam... most 401k's are a scam... went though all that BS... Everything is a scam. Letting the govt touch any of your money is a scam.

 

[vinniedelpino]

I am not an employee. Have my own LLC . Whatever money it makes it pays taxes on at the end of the year. I am an S-corp so that eliminates the self employment tax of 15.3% which is 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Its an entity so it doesnt pay any of that BS. I am a contractor been contracting for the same company 9 years.
I have a good tax man/accountant.

As an individual employee working for someone... not sure how you'd do it. Form an LLC as an S-corporation and then wherever you work or whatever you do you would not be hired by them but work as a contractor contracted by them.

I am not a pro at this... its things I had no idea existed years ago, stuff they dont teach in schools. They want you to be a wage slave, an employee, its insane how much they get taxed and have to pay.. I pay roughly .015% tax at the end of the year.... and nothing durng the year. SS is a scam... most 401k's are a scam... went though all that BS... Everything is a scam. Letting the govt touch any of your money is a scam.

One of the requirements of an S corp is that corporate officers (owners) take a reasonable and ordinary salary. Any income taken as salary is subject to social security and medicare taxes just like any other employee w2. For all intents and purposes, this is self employment tax. You're only paying it on your salary, not your distributions. In other words, an S election shields a portion of your income from FICA taxes, but not ALL of your income. How much of your income should be taken as a salary is a conversation you should have with your accountant, but if you're not paying anything you're in the danger zone. You might get away with it for years, but you're asking for trouble eventually. I'd run a W2 for something, even if it's just a small fraction of your total income. You definitely have the right idea though.

There's no legitimate way to avoid paying FICA on earned income unless you're paid as clergy and have exempted your clergy/ministry related income from self employment tax by filing a 4361, or Amish/Menonite and have exempted yourself from self employment tax by filing a 4029.

Just a heads up. I'm not trying to nerd out on you. Sometimes I can't help myself.

 

[RUTGERS95]

Paying in for the last 25 years (with another 30 or so to go) knowing damn well I'll likely never see a dime of that money sucks.

Hearing elders complain that they're entitle to those benefits without even entertaining a reduction is infuriating.

They're the largest generation to influence economic and political trends for the last 50 years... That's an undeniable fact. They also consumed (collectively) trillions more than they produced. Also an undeniable fact.

You can point your fingers at politicians and make up any excuse you want, but at the end of the day history will remember each generation's contribution for what it was. Passing this problem on to future generations without making any effort to resolve it is disgraceful.

hold on sport, there should not be reduction in benefits. Take all the bs to illegals, bs programs for people that just act like leeches on the system and the like. plenty of froth before you need to cut anything

I paid in, I was FORCED to pay in so fk you if you think it's infuriating to not want a reduction in bennies when there a MULTITUDE OF PLACES WITH FROTH TO TAKE FROM

 

[vinniedelpino]

hold on sport, there should be reduction in benefits. Take all the bs to illegals, bs programs for people that just act like leeches on the system and the like. plenty of froth before you need to cut anything

I paid in, I was FORCED to pay in so fk you if you think it's infuriating to not want a reduction in bennies when there a MULTITUDE OF PLACES WITH FROTH TO TAKE FROM

You should finance the shit out of everything you can, rack up as much debt as possible and blow your cash on cocaine and hookers. Then you can tell your personal creditors to fuck off when you die too.

Then you'd really go out as a winner.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

You should finance the shit out of everything you can, rack up as much debt as possible and blow your cash on cocaine and hookers. Then you can tell your personal creditors to fuck off when you die too.

Then you'd really go out as a winner.

It does not work that way in many states. Do that & the state will take anything & everything.

 

[vinniedelpino]

It does not work that way in many states. Do that & the state will take anything & everything.

I think you missed the point.

 

[oneshot86]

Vinnie the cry baby is telling people how to go out as a winner by screwing everyone.

What a fuckup

 

[vinniedelpino]

Vinnie the cry baby is telling people how to go out as a winner by screwing everyone.

What a fuckup

Jesus… have you been sniffing glue?

I thought I laid on the sarcasm pretty thick.

 

[DocRDS]

What about Social Security?



Best advice papa told me: You won't get Social Security. Count on THAT.

 

[oneshot86]

Jesus… have you been sniffing glue?

I thought I laid on the sarcasm pretty thick.

Shut up cry baby

 

[RUTGERS95]

Jesus… have you been sniffing glue?

I thought I laid on the sarcasm pretty thick.

needs work

 

[NoDopes]

Hunter Biden doesn't pay shit for taxes. When the IRS comes around (if the FBI hasn't blocked them) he just says talk to my dad.

100's of millions. It works.

 

[ColbyLang]

SS will be defunct by the time I’m 60 whatever. I’m 42 (born in 81). Blame the framework laid out in the 30’s-50’s. Blame welfare and every other gubment benefit draining the system. Only reason I pay in happily is that my special needs twin sister draws it monthly. Fuck the tax man. Steal as much as you can

 

[Ann Ominous]

I pooped today. How do I give the government their fair share of it? Ups or usps?

 

[Lug Nut]

Geeze guys, chin up.

We will all be living phat on SS.

Have some faith.

 

[LuckyDuck]

All taxation is theft, and SS is a tax no matter what people want to think of it.

And then taxed again starting in 1984 when you go to collect it decades later.

-LD

 

[LRRPF52]

We import everything. We don’t build anything ourselves (micro not macro) we don’t grow our own food. And we no longer take responsibility for what our children learn. It’s all imported/farmed out however you want to word it. We no longer do anything ourselves and therefore justify it as someone else’s fault because we are not directly responsible for the out come. This of corse is a lie.

The US is the 2nd largest exporter in the world and the largest agricultural producer in the world. Our exports only account for about 15% of our economy. We gave up taking responsibility for what children learn over 120 years ago for most families with the advent of compulsory public-schooling.

America is the world’s heavy-lifter economically and militarily.

 

[Ann Ominous]

Our economy is propped up by the military.
To include our exports.
Everything we buy as a household comes from ch-eye-nah

 

[LRRPF52]

Our economy is propped up by the military.
To include our exports.
Everything we buy as a household comes from ch-eye-nah

MIC isn’t even in the top 25 high revenue industries in the US. I’ve heard this claim often over the years, so I look at the top industries every year to see the rankings and have done so for a long time now.

1. Retirement and pension plans (seems appropriate given the thread topic)
2. Health & Medical Insurance
3. Drug, Cosmetic & Toiletry Wholesaling
4. New Car Dealers
5. Hospitals
6. Life Insurance & Annuities
7. Pharmaceuticals Wholesaling
8. Public Schools
9. Property, Casualty, and Direct Insurance
10. Commercial banking
11. Super Market & Grocery Stores
12. E-Commerce & Online Auctions
13. Colleges & Universities
14. Online computer software sales
15. Warehouse Clubs & Supercenters
16. Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
17. Automobile Wholesaling
18. Petroleum Refining (US is the world leader in this space.)
19. IT Consulting
20. Electronic Part & Equipment Wholesaling
21. Gasoline & Petroleum Wholesaling
22. Pharmacy Benefit Management
23. Gasoline & Petroleum Bulk Stations
24. Real Estate Loans & Collateralized Debt
25. Electric Power Transmission

It makes sense if everyone looks at their personal budget and what you spend money on daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and annually.

If you’re talking about Federal expenditures from taxes, then entitlements are the biggest chunk of the budget like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, followed by Defense.

 

[Ann Ominous]

I’m talking market. The market has more to do with the health of our economy than all of those. I would point to 08 as exhibit one. Our market often times is propped up by defense which is why we feel the recession when wall st and politicians can point to and say otherwise. The point that I was unsuccessful in making was that we have become a consumer society, consuming as much as we can, the cheaper we can get a product the more we can buy. I stand by that the average American buys more shit from other countries than from here. And in addition that point usa labels shit that is from other countries as domestic. I see this constantly in my career. Things are required to be built using American products but South Korea, Vietnam, and several other country’s count as American made. I will concede the argument tho as you do have good and valid points. I try to stay out of serious internet conversations as most of the time there is too much subtlety to have an effective conversation over the internet. Everyone just yells into the wind. I should not have posted here earlier as I do not like this, that is on me. I got bored while waiting for something, I’ll see myself out thank you

 

[flogxal]

The US is the 2nd largest exporter in the world and the largest agricultural producer in the world. Our exports only account for about 15% of our economy. We gave up taking responsibility for what children learn over 120 years ago for most families with the advent of compulsory public-schooling.

America is the world’s heavy-lifter economically and militarily.

I would say that was true up to the mid 1970s.

The only way it can be true today is if "services" are considered industrial manufacture. And they are not. I worked in "services" my whole career, much of the time I was helping industrial companies, who were being squeezed and shuttered either at the time I was helping them, or in the past. I had a major client crushed by the de-industrialization efforts post-Vietnam.

 

[748rpilot]

I'm a millennial, mid-late 30s, and I'm counting on Social Security benefits to provide for me in my later years. Essentially the government are taking and investing some of our money now, with the promise to pay it back to us later, when we need it most. I'm quite positive the government wouldn't promise something if they couldn't, or wouldn't, follow through, so I'm pretty confident in my retirement.