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I’ve always considered economy and wealth to be based not so much on the possession of money, but rather on the flow of money. Think about it. A $100 sitting in a drawer is only worth $100. But if that $100 is used to pay a plumber, who then uses it to purchase some slacks from a merchant...

^^^^ Good advice. For a while I was Prius Camping so do have an additional suggestion. It’s incredibly easy to lose stuff when you’re living in a small space. Be fastidious that everything has it’s place and be careful to always put it back where it belongs.

Do you know if hookups of any type are provided? From what I remember it’s a pretty nice area. And it’s not smelly like Dalhart. ;-)

In addition to setting a time-limit on ‘when was the last time you used something’, sometimes it will help to ask yourself something like “If I didn’t have this, would I now go out and buy it?” If the answer is ‘no’, then toss it.

Then don’t expect SS to provide more than it is designed to do.

no - because I think way too many people are trying to make SS into something it was not designed to be. That and I sense too many things that could disrupt the inherent cash flow that SS uses as its engine. Fewer folks paying into SS, smaller workforce population, AI, popularization of FIRE...

Yes, it is your choice. I chose to have both the government SS and my retirement accounts. So which of us has a more comfortable retirement?

Ok - I’ll agree, but will state that it was only designed to provide only the most basic retirement.

Ron, I went through all of the recession periods that you went through. I also lost a lot of money, on paper. My first big hit was with the dot-com bubble. My second was the 2008 mortgage recession. I don’t want to mention the actual numbers, but will state that it was pretty substantial...

I’m not sure how secure SS really is. I know that it has a really bad ROI. I’ll admit that for many of my working years I maxed out my payroll contributions. In absolute dollars I and my companies paid over $300,000 into SS. But in absolute dollars after 10 years retirement, I’m still less...

Oh yes, and I have posted about IS. I pointed out that a lot of people of little means frequent Mac Donalds and that a Big Mac meal cost approximately 4 times as much as making it yourself. And I pointed out that anyone would be making a poor decision if they didn’t have an emergency fund to...

OK - define “basic” financial needs. Phone? - nope, internet? - nope, vehicle maintenance? - nope. Replacing a vehicle? - nope. TV? - nope. … Also don’t forget that when implemented, homes were totally paid for by the time you were 60. Otherwise you’d go live with the children or...

That’s valid, but no one is forcing anyone to remain in any job where they are not making enough. And no one is forcing anyone to live in an area where it’s nearly impossible to afford a living such as New York or San Francisco.

Ron, it’s only “after the fact” if you chose to make it “after the fact”, just as you’re only a victim if you chose to be a victim. Yes anyone may have limited means, just as we all have limited means. But we are still in control of how we use what means we have. No one makes you spend more...

Maybe a hybrid of private and traditional.

Yes, but the polls all seem to indicate the primary desire is to see payouts increase. Way too many people have SS as their sole income, which it was never intended to do.

Probably the biggest disadvantage would be the issue of the inverted progressive payout strategy that I mentioned before. The poorer folks would no longer have a higher percentage ROI that I mentioned above. But then that might be overcome because the market has tended to have a much higher...

Another possibility would be to have better control what investments were available and how those investments could be dispersed. Most 401k plans used by business have fewer than 40 funds you can invest in from short-term bond funds, dividend funds, all the way to small-cap start ups, and are...

That’s why I said that there would be a problem with folks already receiving SS money. They don’t have any experience with larger sums of money. One of the things that I noticed from my friends in the 401K plans that I was in was that they regularly saw the ups and downs of the market and...

One thing to mention about SS payments. As many probably know, the highest 35 quarters of your payments into SS determine your payout. But also the payout formula uses an inverse progressive plan. What that means is that the first 1000 dollars put into SS by an individual gets a higher return...