Ok.... everybody just settle down.
My "point" was that any married couple in their 80's, both collecting SS and living a simple life, "could" live that life and continue to live fairly secure if both SS incomes remain secure.
However in this case, the death of a spouse and the drastic reduction in SS income for the survivor, that would be quite tragic. And that need not be.
Yes, I believe their house was in fact paid off, but most likely the old man will be forced to sell anyway then move into who knows where and probably at greater cost over all.
And besides, why should losing his wife also end up with losing his home?
In a perfect world, sure, maybe he should have worked at a job where he earned a pension, or started a 401K, despite back in that time people did not think of the stock market as their saving grace, unless your name happened to be Rockefeller.
Remember, the older folks suffered through the great depression.
So even if the 401K was an investment option for them, which I doubt it was, only a fool from their era would trust the market to save the day.
Look at it this way, they did what they needed to do during their younger productive years, and coming from that era, to give them both a fairly secure existence, which by the way they had achieved. For them, political greed nor governmental mismanagement never factored into their future. How can they be blamed? How could they have known? They played the game fair and honestly.
For all those of today pumping money into their 401K retirement, how do you know????
How do you know the economy and the stock market will come through for you when you reach 65?
Thing is, you don't know. you assume. You hope. But how do you know?
You can only "assume" that if you play the game fair and honest, and "they" play the game fair and honest as well, that your ship will come in.
That assumption just might be your downfall.
No, the old guy had no idea that the death of his wife also meant the death of her SS.
He, as most seniors still believe, he thought that he could still collect 50% of his late wife's SS earnings. And with that, survive life's challenges.
And you would also be surprised how many seniors nearing that golden age of 65 still believe they can retire with full SS benefits at 65.
Try telling any senior that the current retirement age is actually 66 and not 65, then just see how many say you are wrong.
Bottom line, and forget about all the graphs and charts, seniors living on SS and able to live on only SS should not find themselves screwed with or by changes to their SS benefits whether that change happened yesterday or 15 years ago.
My only point was, now you know and I too found out why Walmart hires 75 and 85 year old door greeters. And why suddenly folks in their seventies are handing buggers and fries out of a drive-thru window.
Now we know why someone 80 years old must suddenly re-enter the work force.
This is real. And this is happening. And there is no just reason for it to be happening. Not to our senior citizens, the weakest of the weak living in America,
And if you believe for one second that you are immune to such future financial terror, that you are all financially cozy for your own retirement, that no gotcha surprise will come along to toss a wrench in your happy golden years, well amigo... think again.
Unless you are part of that top 1% income bracket, or personally related to Donald Trump, the historical trend in America is that you too will fall victim of uncontrolled financial greed by others. Politicians, brokers, laws and courts.
Someone will believe they deserve your 401K more than you deserve it.
Someone will believe you are fair game and there will be no courtesy given.
And it will not matter who you vote for or how you vote, your dollar will become their dollar.
Social security was intended and thus labeled as such when the concept was first created.
Social security, plain and simple.
Just as today with investment and 401K retirement considered the new game in town for ensuring ones financially security.
No one should be forced back into the job market at the age of 85.
Especially when they had been doing just fine at the age of 84.
And no senior citizen should be forced out of their own home simply because government greed and mismanagement believed investing in war was more important than investing in our senior citizens. Especially when that investment originally came directly out of our seniors pocket.
So now you know....
And show a little compassion next time you are handed a coke out of a drive-thru window by an 80 year old man, or greeted with with WELCOME TO WAL-MART by some 75 year old great grandmother.