Social Security Reform = More Money 4u

I want to thank LaShawn Barber, a long-time blogger, for her very insightful discussion on the subject of Social Security Reform. You have to read it. She got me to thinking about a subject I never even thought about tackling until I visited her site. I guess I was too busy living it. Social Security has been good to me, especially because like so many young people right now, I never thought at that time, I was going to live long enough to collect. Not only that, I did not think I would have any money coming to me even though I had worked about 20 years and was not working for almost as many. I never looked at my statements that came in. I never called or wrote to find out whether or not I would collect anything. I did not even want to go to the Social Security office to apply when I did become eligible. But my husband kept insisting. Reluctantly, I went. What a surprise! And now I have my own, but my husband has authorization privileges if he ever needs to act on my behalf.

The woman at S.S. who met with me signed me up right then and there and actually told me my payments would begin the very next month from my signing up. The only reason I did not collect immediately was because I came a few days too late for that month. Then! When she told me how much I would be receiving every month, I could not believe it! And I am not just whistling dixie down a dark alley (whatever that means). Most of all, I want to encourage anybody who believes they have a very long time before they will be able to collect their portion. Believe me, the years will go by so fast that you will not even have to worry about it. Just pray to God to let you live to be in good health and collect those payments. And believe me, God is real. He answers prayers and yours is included, except and unless the Lord Jesus returns before then in which case none of that will matter, except that you will be ready to go with Him. Think about that, too.

I am including below (more for me as a reference), the comments that I made at LaShawn Barber's blog. I hope you will take a little time to read that, also, before you go back to click on her link at the start of this post. Thanks. I left the following message for her and guests:

I especially loved and affirmed your remarks about the "idiotic ideas by black people." And I stand by that. In terms of S.S. Take heart. Pray to God to let you live long enough to get your share. I did not think I would. And now *every month* for the past two years without fail there is a substantial check deposited in my bank account. Nobody but God has done that! He even blessed me with great health that I almost feel like I am cheating the system to be so young (yet to be legally eligible to collect my retirement money from S.S.). Ask God and He will do the same for you and, when it is your time to collect, it will be there for you.

Some young people may want to thank their elders who pull out their purses and hand over a hand full of cash to them. When you know you have money coming in regularly and no longer have to work for it (called, "Retirement"), there are just so many things you can buy for yourself. Besides, people who collect S.S. can even earn more money via part-time jobs without taxation. Like somebody said in an earlier post, what is wrong with being able to put some of your own money aside as you choose in the same way as IRAs, etc.? It means you have to be responsible, stay alert, and become money savvy to invest *your money wisely,* after the government hands it over to you. God bless.

Thanks LaShawn for your great observations. comment by Silent Thunder 01.06.05 @ 8:44 pm (I made those comments at LaShawn

Barber's blog earlier)