- Feb 1, 2008
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The death of my neighbor, she was 85. Her husband is 84. Both were collecting social security. About $1000 a month EACH for a total income of aprox $2000.
They lived simple. I'm assuming some of their family helped out with finances, like when they needed a new furnace last Winter and then got new carpet last Summer.
Something I know they could never afford on their own.
Well, the wife passed away last month, and I was talking to the old man yesterday.
He said he doesn't know what he is going to do. Why, I asked?
Because with the death of his wife, her social security income stops.
I had always understood that the surviving spouse could collect 50% of the spouses SS after death.
Not true. Not at all. Not any more....
The current retirement age for collecting full SS is 66, not 65 as a lot of people still assume.
Full retirement use to be 65, but when people weren't looking, the age was raised.
You would be surprised at how many people do not realize the retirement age has been raised to 66.
I was talking to a senior citizen waitress at Perkins, she has been there for a long long time.
She mentioned she was planning to retire when she turned 65.
I told her that she can retire at 65, but 66 is the actual retirement age.
She never knew that and became a little upset.
"YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WORK ANOTHER FULL YEAR TO RETIRE?"
And she didn't say that in her happy waitress voice.
No doubt many people do not actually realized that if they and their spouse are both retired and both collecting SS, that if one spouse passed away so does their SS benefits. All of it.
My neighbor will be going from an income of $2000 a month down to $1000 a month.
His personal SS income as the only income.
How many people, retired or not, could afford a sudden 50% cut in income?
I know the retire meant age was raised to 66, but I had always heard one could then still collect 50% of a deceased spouses SS income.
I guess its true, there is no alternative for some seniors but to eat cat food and live out of their car.
This old man and his wife next door were living off their SS, nothing extravagant to say the least, but they were still in their home and making ends meet on that $2000 monthly income.
The loss of half of that household SS income for the surviving souse is going to be worse than devastating.
And no doubt he too will be greeting people as they enter Wally World, sooner or later.
I think this is tragic. Especially to happen in America. And especially for seniors that can not find a job let alone have the physically ability to work a job.
And to top it off, this morning that old rich scumbag Dick Cheney was on TV remarking how awful it was that under president Obama the military budget has been cut.
And that going into war in the middle east was the right thing to do.
And all the while, some poor old guy that lost his wife will now be forced into deep poverty.
And actually eating cat food. And or losing his home, and living out of his car.
Assuming he can afford his car.
And at the age of 84, probably going back into the work force or jumping off the nearest bridge.
I find this hard to believe that this American tragedy is possible for any senior citizen to go through.
You can say what you want about social security, or its short comings, lack of funding, or SS running out of money, but this tragedy could be fixed.
Especially for current SS dependent seniors.
And maybe cut the military funding a little more, and cut all the other pork that congress has no problem with wasting taxpayers money over.
But allowing an old man to live out his life with a little dignity after his wife's death, NO!
Congress refuses to do anything about THAT, except make it even worse at every chance they get. And doing that quietly so that no one notices.
For everyone nearing retirement age, just a thumbs up.
PS.
Another funny BS advice you hear all the time.
Financial experts suggest saving for ones retirement.
Setting aside three years of ones current earnings for their retirement nest egg.
And investing into that 401K as well.
What the experts fail to mention, is if and when that day comes when one needs nursing home care, that the state and the nursing home will take all of that nest egg savings whatever that amount may be, just to qualify for nursing home residency.
So, you can save and save just like they suggest, only to have every penny taken by the state and the nursing home.
So much for that nest egg.
And republicans have the nerve to label Obama as THE FOOD STAMP PRESIDENT.
Yeah... RiGhT....
They lived simple. I'm assuming some of their family helped out with finances, like when they needed a new furnace last Winter and then got new carpet last Summer.
Something I know they could never afford on their own.
Well, the wife passed away last month, and I was talking to the old man yesterday.
He said he doesn't know what he is going to do. Why, I asked?
Because with the death of his wife, her social security income stops.
I had always understood that the surviving spouse could collect 50% of the spouses SS after death.
Not true. Not at all. Not any more....
The current retirement age for collecting full SS is 66, not 65 as a lot of people still assume.
Full retirement use to be 65, but when people weren't looking, the age was raised.
You would be surprised at how many people do not realize the retirement age has been raised to 66.
I was talking to a senior citizen waitress at Perkins, she has been there for a long long time.
She mentioned she was planning to retire when she turned 65.
I told her that she can retire at 65, but 66 is the actual retirement age.
She never knew that and became a little upset.
"YOU MEAN I HAVE TO WORK ANOTHER FULL YEAR TO RETIRE?"
And she didn't say that in her happy waitress voice.
No doubt many people do not actually realized that if they and their spouse are both retired and both collecting SS, that if one spouse passed away so does their SS benefits. All of it.
My neighbor will be going from an income of $2000 a month down to $1000 a month.
His personal SS income as the only income.
How many people, retired or not, could afford a sudden 50% cut in income?
I know the retire meant age was raised to 66, but I had always heard one could then still collect 50% of a deceased spouses SS income.
I guess its true, there is no alternative for some seniors but to eat cat food and live out of their car.
This old man and his wife next door were living off their SS, nothing extravagant to say the least, but they were still in their home and making ends meet on that $2000 monthly income.
The loss of half of that household SS income for the surviving souse is going to be worse than devastating.
And no doubt he too will be greeting people as they enter Wally World, sooner or later.
I think this is tragic. Especially to happen in America. And especially for seniors that can not find a job let alone have the physically ability to work a job.
And to top it off, this morning that old rich scumbag Dick Cheney was on TV remarking how awful it was that under president Obama the military budget has been cut.
And that going into war in the middle east was the right thing to do.
And all the while, some poor old guy that lost his wife will now be forced into deep poverty.
And actually eating cat food. And or losing his home, and living out of his car.
Assuming he can afford his car.
And at the age of 84, probably going back into the work force or jumping off the nearest bridge.
I find this hard to believe that this American tragedy is possible for any senior citizen to go through.
You can say what you want about social security, or its short comings, lack of funding, or SS running out of money, but this tragedy could be fixed.
Especially for current SS dependent seniors.
And maybe cut the military funding a little more, and cut all the other pork that congress has no problem with wasting taxpayers money over.
But allowing an old man to live out his life with a little dignity after his wife's death, NO!
Congress refuses to do anything about THAT, except make it even worse at every chance they get. And doing that quietly so that no one notices.
For everyone nearing retirement age, just a thumbs up.
PS.
Another funny BS advice you hear all the time.
Financial experts suggest saving for ones retirement.
Setting aside three years of ones current earnings for their retirement nest egg.
And investing into that 401K as well.
What the experts fail to mention, is if and when that day comes when one needs nursing home care, that the state and the nursing home will take all of that nest egg savings whatever that amount may be, just to qualify for nursing home residency.
So, you can save and save just like they suggest, only to have every penny taken by the state and the nursing home.
So much for that nest egg.
And republicans have the nerve to label Obama as THE FOOD STAMP PRESIDENT.
Yeah... RiGhT....
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