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Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

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Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#21

Post by nnfy »

>Her savings long gone, and having never done much long-term financial planning

And so again we are expected to pay for the mistakes of others. What incentive is there to save if you know you have a social net to save you anyway?

Yes, I understand, it is a terrifying way to live, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but if we deincentivize personal responsibility, what stops this from becoming a larger problem? How can this be sustainable?

Edit: please do not mistake my attempt at objectivity for callousness. One must divorce personal feelings of pity and empathy for individuals when discussing matters which affect hundreds of millions of people. There comes a point where there are more people requiring assistance than we are capable of supporting, and part of the solution is to discourage recklessness.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#22

Post by Broken_Hippo »

Danihan wrote: post #13
toomuchtodo wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if nothing is done by society to fix the problem.

She is already getting social security.

Ok. So society has already done a little. And? Obviously, this isn't the solution that has solved the problem without some real changes to social security and/or support systems for the poor. It doesn't change the fact that society still needs to do something.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#24

Post by whathaschanged »

Danihan wrote: post #15
bitL wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing will be done to improve it. That requires decent people. Our civilization is on a hyperbolic trajectory out of decency, disregarding all accumulated wisdom of civilization builders, exchanging it for short-term profit.

Could you be more specific about what "decent wisdom of civilization builders" we've disregarded...?

Put your citizens first. Once they are all protected, clothed, fed and sheltered, then and only then should a civilization support others.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#25

Post by rabbite »

Five paragraphs in, the root of many of her problems:

"Her savings long gone, and having never done much long-term financial planning"

Six paragraphs in, the root of elderly problems nation-wide:

"Nearly one-third of U.S. heads of households ages 55 and older have no pension or retirement savings and a median annual income of about $19,000"

Is it possible that the lack of long term financial planning, aka saving money, is the crux of many of these tragic situations?

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#26

Post by mattnewton »

rabbite wrote: post #25

Five paragraphs in, the root of many of her problems: "Her savings long gone, and having never done much long-term financial planning" Six paragraphs in, the root of elderly problems nation-wide: "Nearly one-third of U.S. heads of households ages 55 and older have no pension or retirement savings and a median annual income of about $19,000" Is it possible that the lack of long term financial planning, aka saving mone…

A lot of the sources of savings were in houses, which burst in 2008.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#28

Post by pc86 »

rayiner wrote: post #20

> But there is little money to see the sights. She earns too much to receive food stamps, and a lot of it goes to groceries. She tries to eat organic food, with her low blood sugar. That rules out cheap but filling Big Macs — as well as the food kitchens whose mass-produced meals, she decided, are unhealthful. Why do newspapers use as examples people who seem to have done everything wrong? Is it because formerly midd…

> In a rural town it would be enough for a decent living.

It most certainly would not be. Survivable? Probably. Decent? Absolutely not.

And Medicare recipients still have out of pocket requirements, that's the whole reason Medicare supplement insurance exists. The average out of pocket expense for Medicare recipients in 2014 was over $4,000.

Tell someone making $1,400 a month they need to budget $350 a month for health care.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#30

Post by PatientTrades »

> Her monthly income consists of $1,200 in Social Security and a $190 pension

That is a decent salary if she lived in a cheaper state like Mississippi or Kentucky. I realize there are other factors at play here, but its your choice to retire in a ridiculously expensive state like California.

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