Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-30-2011, 11:08 AM   #41
Moderator Emeritus
W2R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,473
Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl View Post
Remember that, unless you are sick, it's a lot harder to spend money after age 85 or so. You may just want to hang out around home.
Hey! That's what I just want to do even at the young age of 63. I am such a homebody.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.

Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
W2R is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 07-30-2011, 11:09 AM   #42
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWizard View Post
RMDs start at age 70-1/2, not 90...
Quote:
Originally Posted by TN_INVEST View Post
Yes, they do. However, they can be quite severe at age 90
What he said... Check out the formula.
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2011, 12:31 PM   #43
Recycles dryer sheets
WestLake's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 239
If you are a single male it seems to me 62 is best.
WestLake is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2011, 01:41 PM   #44
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
MasterBlaster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,391
Quote:
Originally Posted by WestLake View Post
If you are a single male it seems to me 62 is best.
Based on what ?
MasterBlaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2011, 02:16 PM   #45
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Mulligan's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 9,343
Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterBlaster

Based on what ?
Can't speak for Westlake, but I have read how short lived us single males are based on the surveys or research, or false theories. We are depressed, drink too much, dont eat healthy, don't have a wife to take care of us, etc... Bleak future for us indeed. Cash the check while your still breathing! Maybe he has read the same stories.
Mulligan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2011, 02:54 PM   #46
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 739
The 62 versus 66 versus 70 debate will likely look much different in 8 years for folks currently 62 and hoping all the rules are the same in 2020.

I picture changes to:
1. COLA
2. Spousal rules that allow a do-over at 70.
3. Taxation on SS income.
4. Means testing.

A person 62 right now would feel mighty foolish if they passed up 8 years of income under current rule and then in 2020 find a whole different set of rules.
Zero is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2011, 03:46 PM   #47
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
TromboneAl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,880
I guess the RMD thing depends a lot on the formula for how much you have to take out. I figure that if I'm 90, and don't plan to leave any inheritance, I'd better start taking out the money anyway if I want to use it before I die.

Anyone have a feeling for how the RMDs related to life expectancy, etc?

Quote:
A person 62 right now would feel mighty foolish if they passed up 8 years of income under current rule and then in 2020 find a whole different set of rules.
Yes, that certainly throws a monkey wrench into things. Hopefully those changes would include grandfathering.
__________________
Al
TromboneAl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2011, 04:15 PM   #48
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 739
A real eye opener for me was the rule change to do away with the "do-over" (allowing someone to start at 62, then payback at 70) showed me that they can change things without any justification.

There one day, gone the next. I expect to see SS pecked away at in small increments but with 8 years to do it, the rules could look a lot different in 2020.

EDIT: There have been some discussions on making SS solvent by lowering the rate of COLA by going to "chain-weighted" CPI versus the current CPI being used. And also using this lower CPI to calculate initial benefits instead of the Wage Index inflation which is supposedly 1% higher on average. If enacted, this would result in the initial check being smaller and also growing more slowly.
Zero is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-31-2011, 06:32 PM   #49
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
MasterBlaster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,391
Quote:
Originally Posted by Masterblaster
You could make the same cooments about your nestegg.

What if you die before spending that extra $40k out of your nestegg.

Not only does it really suck to be dead, but what's worse you didn't spend enough !
Quote:
Originally Posted by TN_INVEST View Post
Except if the money is in my nest egg, I get to pass it on. Yes, I know SS has spousal provisions, but something tells me the actuaries have already run the numbers and accounted for that.
Again, you could pass on the (age 70) higher income stream to your spouse in many cases. They then won't need to spand down the estate so much. That estate could then be passed on to anyone.
MasterBlaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2011, 07:21 AM   #50
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 141
Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterBlaster View Post
Again, you could pass on the (age 70) higher income stream to your spouse in many cases. They then won't need to spand down the estate so much. That estate could then be passed on to anyone.
Yes, you could begin saving the higher SS income at age 70, and they could save that money to build their nest egg. However, most projections have some sort of break even point near age 80.

I think another variable most folks don't look at (think of it as one of those mathematical risk adjustment equations). I'm working on the details, but my initial thought is to call it: pension optimization distribution. Works something like this:

amount of my money sent to D.C. x years of ineptness + political risk = PO'd
TN_INVEST is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2011, 07:19 PM   #51
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
mickeyd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: South Texas~29N/98W Just West of Woman Hollering Creek
Posts: 6,671
One of the nice things about SS is that it is so flexible.

So far this thread had 50 different ideas on the subject.

Until about a year ago I never knew about the "claim now, claim more later" aspect of SSA. After researching it and getting ideas and advice from a bunch of folks here and at Bogleheads, I realized that, with me being age 66 and DW being 62, it was a perfect strategy to delay my SS until age 70 and have me claim as a spouse on her age 62 claim.

Not many pension plans (if any) are so flexible.
__________________
Part-Owner of Texas

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. Groucho Marx

In dire need of: faster horses, younger woman, older whiskey, more money.
mickeyd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 04:38 AM   #52
Administrator
Alan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
Posts: 34,056
Quote:
Originally Posted by mickeyd View Post
One of the nice things about SS is that it is so flexible.

So far this thread had 50 different ideas on the subject.
I think I change my plans on when to take SS at least once a year. When the time comes to make the first decision in 6 years I'm almost tempted to write down all the options on different cards, put them a hat and have DW pick one out.
__________________
Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
Alan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 08:57 AM   #53
Full time employment: Posting here.
JakeBrake's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Southeast USA
Posts: 548
Before I reached FRA, I enjoyed logging in to the SS website at the first of the month and seeing the amount that my estimated benefit increased each month. This reinforced my plan to defer claiming my SS. Now that I have reached FRA, I find that my estimated benefit is not updated each month. This is a real downer and tempting me to go ahead and claim my benefit.

I can calculate the estimated monthly increase manually, but it's not the same.
JakeBrake is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 09:34 AM   #54
gone traveling
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 3,851
Quote:
Originally Posted by JakeBrake View Post
Before I reached FRA, I enjoyed logging in to the SS website at the first of the month and seeing the amount that my estimated benefit increased each month. This reinforced my plan to defer claiming my SS. Now that I have reached FRA, I find that my estimated benefit is not updated each month. This is a real downer and tempting me to go ahead and claim my benefit.
But it does give you your benefit at age at 70 (regardless of the monthly increase, from age 62 to FRA - as I do every month).

It's still a goal, IMHO...

Since I'll be claiming against my wife (at 50%) in a couple of years, at least I don't feel I'm losing anything, as I wait till age 70 (primarily for DW's benefit) to claim my SS.
rescueme is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 10:00 AM   #55
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
dtbach's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Madison
Posts: 1,337
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zero View Post
The 62 versus 66 versus 70 debate will likely look much different in 8 years for folks currently 62 and hoping all the rules are the same in 2020.

I picture changes to:
1. COLA
2. Spousal rules that allow a do-over at 70.
3. Taxation on SS income.
4. Means testing.

A person 62 right now would feel mighty foolish if they passed up 8 years of income under current rule and then in 2020 find a whole different set of rules.
This is the heart of why I'm torn between taking ASAP or waiting until 70. Unless the rules are grandfathered for those age 60 or older, how can one make the calculations? If the rules change in the middle of the stream, nobody can make a meaningful decision.
__________________
Wild Bill shoulda taken more out of his IRA when he could have. . . .
dtbach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 10:05 AM   #56
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
MasterBlaster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,391
Quote:
Originally Posted by dtbach View Post
This is the heart of why I'm torn between taking ASAP or waiting until 70. Unless the rules are grandfathered for those age 60 or older, how can one make the calculations? If the rules change in the middle of the stream, nobody can make a meaningful decision.
yeah !

How can we game the system if they keep changing the rules.
MasterBlaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 10:35 AM   #57
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 225
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retch The Grate View Post
My mom doesn't/didn't work in an income producing job after I was born, I'm not sure she ever earned any income in the US actually, her work may all have been in Ireland.
If she worked in Ireland for a few years, she is probably due an Irish pension. She should check with the authorities there.

I emailed them last week looking for my PPS number (the SSN number in Ireland) so I could have it on file. I emailed:
Registration Unit <SECT.REG4@welfare.ie>

They actually prefer you to call them - from the US you would call
011 353 1 704 3281
opening hours are GMT 9.15am to 1.00pm
and 2.00pm to 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

She may have to provide a marriage certificate to claim on a new name.

(I gave them my mailing address and got the number in writing as I want to merge my years with the UK pension office.)
PaddyMac is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 11:32 AM   #58
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
dtbach's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Madison
Posts: 1,337
Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterBlaster View Post
yeah !

How can we game the system if they keep changing the rules.
I'm not sure that trying to make the best decision for something that you will be locked into for the rest of your life should be considered "gaming the system"
__________________
Wild Bill shoulda taken more out of his IRA when he could have. . . .
dtbach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 11:37 AM   #59
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
MasterBlaster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,391
Quote:
Originally Posted by dtbach View Post
I'm not sure that trying to make the best decision for something that you will be locked into for the rest of your life should be considered "gaming the system"
Call it what you want.... A rose by any other name...
MasterBlaster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-02-2011, 11:53 AM   #60
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Koolau's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Leeward Oahu
Posts: 17,794
Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterBlaster View Post
Call it what you want.... A rose by any other name...
Thinking of SS planning as "gaming" makes me recall something about "being a winner at a loser's game"... I hope not! On this one, I'm with Charlie. I would prefer just plain "Winning!".
__________________
Ko'olau's Law -

Anything which can be used can be misused. Anything which can be misused will be.
Koolau is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Delay taking pension? ER Fireball FIRE and Money 23 07-12-2011 08:38 AM
I'm ready to start stocking up on guns and canned goods here in Minnesota Hamlet FIRE Related Public Policy 12 07-11-2011 06:54 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:40 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.