Friendly reminder that all we need to do to make it solvent is get rid of the cap.
It’s insane we have a max limit and not a minimum. Someone making 160k won’t even notice the 6.2% on all of it, someone making 20k tho the 6.2% is life-changing.
The existing system was never designed for this level of wealth inequality.
Unfortunately the Republicans want to break it further and the Dem leadership refuse to acknowledge the obvious solution.
It’s actually insane how little payroll deductions hit when you’re at the 401k and social security max for the year. It’s normal to see 1-2k more per check. Everyone benefits directly or indirectly from social security and we should all pay into it.
I’m not sure I phrased it correctly, I was saying that it’s insane that checks get larger for the wealthy. I don’t like it either. I fully agree with your point that the cap should be removed.
Ultimately the cap is because there is a max on how much you can receive per month. So they align with each other. But honestly if you’re at the point where you’re hitting the social security cap, then it’s not even going to be your primary source of retirement. In which case capping benefits but not capping contributions would hardly be noticeable, but would help keep social security solvent.
To be clear, a maximum on monthly benefit, not total!
Ultimately the cap is because there is a max on how much you can receive.
Its an insurance program. The cap on how much you receive is based entirely on how long you live. If you die at age 65, you get nothing. If you die at age 102, you’ll potentially receive much more than you deposited. Same for if you’re disabled or you’re a dependent of an insured person. Paul Ryan bragged about his dead father’s SS benefits paying for his college degree, while advocating for an end to the survivor’s benefit program.
Given that wealthier people tend to live longer, it makes perfect sense to uncap how much they pay.
The monthly payout of social security is based on how much you earned while you were working, which is roughly correlated with how much you payed in [0]. However, the monthly payment has a hard cap. No matter how much you earned while working, SS will not pay you more than someone who averaged $168,600/year. Even below that cap, there is a progressive structure, where those with a lower income see a larger marginal benefit.
[0] not exactly, as it only looks at you inflation adjusted best 35 years
The monthly payout of social security is based on how much you earned while you were working
But the lifetime payout is set by how long you live. Your total recoupment is based on the number of months you receive SS. There is never an age when you lose eligibility.
Even below that cap, there is a progressive structure, where those with a lower income see a larger marginal benefit.
People with low incomes have a host of additional problems - higher stress levels, poorer nutrition, less access to preventative and life sustaining medication.
This lowers their overall life expectancy and - as a consequence - the total recoupment they expect to receive from SS.
Friendly reminder that all we need to do to make it solvent is get rid of the cap.
It’s insane we have a max limit and not a minimum. Someone making 160k won’t even notice the 6.2% on all of it, someone making 20k tho the 6.2% is life-changing.
The existing system was never designed for this level of wealth inequality.
Unfortunately the Republicans want to break it further and the Dem leadership refuse to acknowledge the obvious solution.
the current wealth inequity is the main driver of all our current social ills.
It’s actually insane how little payroll deductions hit when you’re at the 401k and social security max for the year. It’s normal to see 1-2k more per check. Everyone benefits directly or indirectly from social security and we should all pay into it.
Yeah, who cares about the family with a 50k household income…
The cap allows people who can already max out their 401k to get an extra 1-2k every check the last couple months of the year!
You’ve changed my mind good sir
Obviously the wealthy deserve that extra income.
I’m not sure I phrased it correctly, I was saying that it’s insane that checks get larger for the wealthy. I don’t like it either. I fully agree with your point that the cap should be removed.
You phrased it correctly, they read it wrong.
Ultimately the cap is because there is a max on how much you can receive per month. So they align with each other. But honestly if you’re at the point where you’re hitting the social security cap, then it’s not even going to be your primary source of retirement. In which case capping benefits but not capping contributions would hardly be noticeable, but would help keep social security solvent.
To be clear, a maximum on monthly benefit, not total!
If you think OASDI is an investment…
It’s not OASDI’s fault you don’t know what the acronym stands for.
What?! How in the world did you get that out of what I said.
There is a maximum monthly benefit. Maybe I need to go back and reword it or something, because this totally misses my point.
Its an insurance program. The cap on how much you receive is based entirely on how long you live. If you die at age 65, you get nothing. If you die at age 102, you’ll potentially receive much more than you deposited. Same for if you’re disabled or you’re a dependent of an insured person. Paul Ryan bragged about his dead father’s SS benefits paying for his college degree, while advocating for an end to the survivor’s benefit program.
Given that wealthier people tend to live longer, it makes perfect sense to uncap how much they pay.
The monthly payout of social security is based on how much you earned while you were working, which is roughly correlated with how much you payed in [0]. However, the monthly payment has a hard cap. No matter how much you earned while working, SS will not pay you more than someone who averaged $168,600/year. Even below that cap, there is a progressive structure, where those with a lower income see a larger marginal benefit.
[0] not exactly, as it only looks at you inflation adjusted best 35 years
But the lifetime payout is set by how long you live. Your total recoupment is based on the number of months you receive SS. There is never an age when you lose eligibility.
People with low incomes have a host of additional problems - higher stress levels, poorer nutrition, less access to preventative and life sustaining medication.
This lowers their overall life expectancy and - as a consequence - the total recoupment they expect to receive from SS.