A Reader’s Comments on Retirement in Tatters

I too read the Joe Nocera article in the New York Times. It was surely bleak, and frightened a great many people.

Your take on the article was quite unusual.

Mr. Nocera saw $100,000 as paltry and near poverty but you see it as a beginning, as capable of bearing fruit, depending on where one lives. I agree.

Guatemala is now on my list of considerations, thanks to you and Billy. (By the way, there is a huge marketing campaign to convince eligible people to delay taking SS benefits. I think this would be a suitable topic for discussion at some point. There are strong points on both sides.)

Best Wishes,

Paul

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Hi Paul

Thank you for taking the time to write and for letting us know you appreciated our take on Joe Nocera’s piece.

You mentioned the huge marketing campaign to convince eligible people to delay taking their SS benefits, and I know there are arguments for both sides. What a great idea to have us discuss this and then share with our Readers. Thanks for the suggestion!

When will you take your payments?

Billy has often mentioned that he would take his as soon as he was eligible, whereas I had thought – being the wife — that I would wait until later. In this way, I was hoping to receive a larger payment if I became widowed.

We will probably have to rethink the issue as we become closer to eligibility — things are changing quite fast these days as the government is scrambling to cover these monetary promises. However, since we planned our retirement without the need for Social Security, this money would be gravy on top and if we chose to take it sooner, we would probably just invest it.

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I have also noticed how journalists are emphasizing how much we all need the government in order to survive. People are being trained to think in a very dependent manner and we find that disturbing. It’s not working so much for Europe and the Euro and that situation will become our future if we are not careful.

No matter what happens, our position is that there are always opportunities. Billy and I at Retire Early Lifestyle try to present these possibilities as best we are able.

You have more possibilities available to you than you think

Self-reliance is a skill that can be learned and a muscle that needs working in order to become strong. Regardless if people choose differently for themselves, we find that this viewpoint suits our personalities the best.

We wish you all good things,

Akaisha

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