My recent employer is one of the few who have opting out of social security as an option. I have the opportunity to make a one-time election to drop FICA and deposit my money into a private retirement account. I’m 41 and have more than 40 quarters in the regular system. We currently save over 15% of our income for retirement, but unfortunately, we started late. The employer will also pay for a long-term disability policy to cover the fact that I’ll be losing my disability benefit.
I’m having a hard time seeing a downside to this right now, but I wanted to see if anyone here might have a perspective that I’m missing.
I would spend a little money now to check into this with an independent professional that knows Social Security inside and out. You have invested 10 years into the system. I think maybe you should look for ways to keep it. IF (heaven forbid) something happened to your company you might lose out, depending on what happened. Remember that the more solid a company is financially the more they are targeted, and with the Internet as an added danger, you really should not have this as your only strategy. I would be in trouble without social security. It only pays for half my needs now, but it does pay $1500 per month (Cad). I paid in about 15 years at lower pay for half of that, but my late husband overpaid and I collect his SS. I still work, because his cancer cost us everything before we got him back to Canada. ALL insurance policies that are worth what you pay have limits and we reached ours. Cancer is expensive. When you collect is determined by when you started paying and when you collect. How much you collect is determined by the last quarter you work. I realize that 18% + is high, but earnings on blue chop stock are also low. SS is solid. Many have tried to cut back on it or even destroy it and not been able to even touch it. AS long as the US government survives SS will also. If you invest the same amount as you pay into USSS, then you will have the best of both worlds: higher yield and absolute security. IF the US should ever fold any monetary investment you made will almost certainly also dissolve. If you want solid, invest in land, fertile or beautiful land in good locations.
Just my nickel’s worth here: Canada has no pennies, since the copper in them was more valuable than their face value. Karena
Karena
