How Does Social Security Factor Into Your Retirement Plan ...

It?s funny, because whenever we run profit projections for our clients, many of them will say, ?Oh, you know, I don?t know. Social Security is shaky. Let?s not include it.? So, we?ll run one [projection] without it and another from it. It?s a big difference. Then when they find it, they assert, ?Well, yes, OK, let?s keep that in.??

Financial planner Mark Balasa got a chuckle on the crowd when he made that statement at Morningstar.com?s retirement income seminar in January 2011, without doubt because at the very least some audience members saw a bit of themselves from it. Because it offers an inflation-adjusted income stream that could last through a retiree?s life, Social Security is surely an incredibly powerful benefit. At the same time, deficit worries have led some to question whether this program continues on its current course: Proposals to reform Social Security have included raising the eligibility age, tweaking the inflation adjustment, or incorporating means-testing so that wealthy beneficiaries would be handed a scaled-back benefit.

I just asked Morningstar.com Discuss forum participants to how Social Security had factored within their own retirement planning. Posting in the Investing During Retirement forum, Gurus them when they were depending upon the full benefit or were thinking of scaled-back level of income from the program.

A robust conversation ensued, with clear divisions based on life stage. While retired or soon-to-retire posters generally stood a moderate or advanced level of confidence they?d receive their full benefits, younger investors were more skeptical that this program could be viable as soon as they were given around to retiring. Some posters also shared what role Social Security had played in their retirement plans. It is often a necessary component of some retirees? income streams, while other people take their Social Security benefits in the category of ?nice to own.?

To learn to read the full thread or share the role of Social Security absolutely need retirement planning process,
?I Think Social Security Benefits Are Fairly Sure?
A tiny contingent of posters who are retired or near retiring are yet to factored Social Security benefits to their planning process. Chief K, although it is not expecting the imminent dissolution of Social Security, was obviously a rare poster who?s currently eligible to Social Security but is leaving open the possibility that his benefits might be curtailed in retirement. He wrote, ?I expect Social Security benefit payments to keep in something towards the existing form. However, I?ve got thought we would discount the amount of estimated benefits personally (I?m over 65) by 15% because, I will be just guessing concerning the future and i also always prefer any financial surprises to get ?better? rather than to help them to be ?worse.??

More commonly, however, retirees who posted are fully seeking to receive their benefits throughout their lifetimes.

Bubbygator was on the list of first retirees to weigh in, speaking for a lot of when he said he?s relying on his full benefit. He proceeded to argue that altering the machine in a fashion that would affect current retirees? incomes would not be politically viable. ?In my opinion that when any changes are created to the Social Security measure, such changes aren?t going to be retroactive to individuals with already qualified and are also currently receiving benefits. One reason I believe that is how the existing retiree base would raise hell politically against any retroactive bill.?

Racqueteer concurred that joggers who are already taking benefits are unlikely to discover their benefits cut. Thus, he wrote, ?I took Social Security at 62, and i believe by doing that, I caused it to be much more likely that my benefits will be grandfathered in regardless of what occur in the longer term.?

FidlStix agreed. ?For all you heat and light-weight being generated above the demise of Social Security and Medicare, I think Social Security benefits are fairly sure for all those folks 55 or older. I expect my wife and I will derive about 40% of our own retirement expenses from our Social Security benefits.? He continued to note that major market shocks are a bigger concern. ?Although I?m planning to investment income for the big portion our retirement, I feel very vulnerable to Cygnus atratus attacks.? ["Black Swan" describes Nicholas Taleb's book of the same name, which argued that market participants often underestimate the possibility of extreme market events.] ?However, federal programs like Social Security are relatively protected against Black Swans, or even attacks from Washington insiders seeking political advantage.?

?Without one I?d personally Need to Pinch Pennies?
Retired posters also shared what role their Social Security benefits had played in their in-retirement plans. For Bobert42, and many more in the thread, it is often a large one. ?My family and i both collect Social Security. In 2011, Social Security contributed 44% of our income. In 2012 this will likely jump to 64%. So yes, Social Security is and may remain a huge consider our retirement. We will maintain deep trouble if there was to be determined by income from our investments given the poor performance within the last few decade or possibly even longer.?

WOODJ is on the same page, writing that his household?s Social Security benefits amounted to 55% of their spending not too long ago. He concluded, ?I would like Social Security to take care of our quality of life.?

JBP57?s post illustrates what lifesaver Social Security may be should you have needed to are amiss prior to when that they had hoped. ?Social Security is the largest a part of my yearly income. I started drawing at 65 and 10 months because I became jobless together gotten helpful to eating regularly. I continued to draw after i returned to be effective. Really the only jobs in existence were $10-per-hour counter-help jobs (1 / 3rd of what I produced in construction) it?s the same appearing therein new normal, retirement might not be an alternative. I will have to cobble together lots income streams, employment, Social Security, pension, and investments to make it. My counter-help job lasted 16 months, and here I am pushing 70 looking for work again. The upside is, my sister is a decade younger, self-employed, solvent, plans to work to age 70, and now we have little debt, only our mortgage. I?ll just have to confuse my ?Golden Years? until I?m 80. So, I?m just quite thankful for Social Security.?

AviOren noted that he with the exceptional spouse use Social Security to address medical expenses, which are likely to increase during retirement. ?Inside my wife?s and my case, Social Security helps invite Part B and medical expenses above Medicare.?

Other posters noted that Social Security has reduced the demands they?ve was required to put on their portfolios.

ColonelDan wrote, ?I took Social Security at 62 to supplement my military retirement well , i wouldn?t need to touch my IRAs until required minimum distribution time. The master plan is performing exercises wonderfully.?

For other people, Social Security covers the extras that promote their quality of life.

Racqueteer wrote, ?I would not be determined by my Social Security, but it makes it simpler to live on comfortably in retirement. It?s about 1 / 3 of my income, so without it, I?d need to pinch pennies.?

Merjet quipped, ?If my monthly benefit is ever reduced, it may put some pressure on our vacation and entertainment budget.?

Stockvapors isn?t about to take Social Security until age 70, but likes that the benefits will help hedge against plenty of different possibilities. ?It?s going to be my extra inflation hedge, my extra money for medical bills or should i be lucky and healthy, my extra cash for charities and vacations. It?s also my security blanket just in case we have a major depression or other sorts of economic meltdown that eliminates a good chunk of my investments.?

Ditto for gary11112, who wrote, ?For us Social Security would be the difference between dying and leaving something behind and/or long-term care we buy versus dying broke and/or long-term care their state pays for. It is also the real difference between sleeping soundly at night through market gyrations or worrying about every market-affecting event.?

?A large Codgers Move on Washington?
Among readers closing in on retirement however , not yet tapping Social Security, most appear depending upon their benefits to supplement other options for retirement income, mainly due to firestorm that might ensue if benefits are altered. Juris2, who?ll use Social Security to supplement 403(b) withdrawals in retirement, notes, ?We?re able to probably scrunch up and survive if there are no Social Security by any means. But the chances of Social Security disappearing is nil for those inside my age cohort. They may fiddle with the inflation adjustment, but I do not think that would have a materially harmful relation to my income. (If this did, the federal government could expect an enormous Codgers Progress Washington. When folks don?t have anything to get rid of by protesting, they will confederate and take action.)?

Nelsoe hasn?t yet begun taking Social Security, but isn?t anticipating great changes on the structure in the program, either. ?I anticipate how the Social Security benefits will still be adjusted for inflation and never otherwise means-tested.?

GAPAhl is usually relying upon Social Security benefits to augment investment income. ?We will be retiring in four years at our full retirement age of 66. Considered one of us may elect to keep off receiving Social Security benefits until 68 or later, to spike the payout a little. We now have retirement savings which will contribute 55%-60% individuals retirement income, but we expect Social Security becoming a significant a part of our fiscal ?pie? through out our lives.?

BlackCoffee, approaching retirement, says employing Social Security in his in-retirement budget has allowed for just a more stock-heavy portfolio. ?As Social Security and rental income will roughly cover our nondiscretionary expenses, the Social Security entitlement has allowed me becoming a much more aggressive in my portfolio asset allocation than I might otherwise. While allocation is really a personal choice, on account of Social Security My business is comfortable with a 10-25-65 mix (cash, bonds, stock) whereas without it I?d probably want to become closer to 10-50-40 without them. Hence the Social Security entitlement is letting me assume a tad bit more risk and still sleep.?

He proceeded, ?I view Social Security for indexed annuity stream with the each of us that has a 50% spouse benefit (when considered one of us dies the other is left because of their own Social Security entitlement?more than half the combined total in my case and fewer than half within my wife?s case). The payment stream with spouse benefit and indexing would cost about $1.5 million to get. ?

Jocojayhawk has, similarly, considered Social Security as a possible annuity for retirement-planning purposes; in her case, the goal of that income stream would be to save it for the children. ?We?ve got fashioned our budget round the premise that Social Security represents a huge, inflation-adjusted annuity that?s not an ?entitlement? but a multidecade, paid-in retirement benefit. As I notice, our large, nearly untapped savings will likely be be passed on to our son and the family in order that it will have an ongoing revenue stream on their behalf in retirement 30-plus years from now when potentially the government?s power to fully provide this earned annuity will never be there for him or her. ?

Wartybliggins shared the following formula for quantifying the value of Social Security benefits. ?I considered the calculated present price of Social Security as having a bond fund delivering a 4% return. I calculated the virtual present worth of my Social Security benefits as about $400,000 of shares in a fund using a payout of four years old%. Quite simply, the Social Security benefit substitutes for a $400,000 holding. For many, that virtual present value plays a crucial role in your retirement wealth accumulation strategies and when you will get by for a couple years without drawing it, the virtual present value increases. So to determine the genuine effect Social Security can have in capitalizing your retirement, multiply your expected Social Security monthly benefit by 12 and divide by 0.04. The actual result may be the virtual capital contribution your Social Security enhances the principal worth of your retirement.?

Posters strategizing about their impending retirements differed on whether or not to take Social Security benefits early, thereby delaying tapping their investments, or waiting, along with so doing enlarging their benefit amounts. JHAsheville is incorporated in the former camp: ?My partner and I anticipate collecting Social Security at 62 after paying into the system over 40 years. By hitting up Social Security at age 62 we figure we can easily keep our ?buckets? safe and dealing harder and longer for many people by staying put in our portfolio.?

DSRoss seemed to be an earlier filer. Similar to JHAsheville?s idea, doing so reduced portfolio withdrawals at an inopportune time. ?I retired in 2004 and began taking Social Security in 2008 at 62. Given what transpired in 2008, taking Social Security at the time was the best move. It cushioned the withdrawals I would have gotten to make which would also have an impact about the ability of my portfolio to extract since then.?

Almstthr, conversely, has thought we would wait. ?I turned 65 in February. We?ve done the calculations comparing collecting now versus allowing the payment to increase by waiting. It lets you do appear that it?s going to take me 12 years to ?balance? the waiting period, but I quite like things i do, receive money reasonably well to perform my job, which includes a lots of travel.?

TerryQ50 has additionally made a decision to wait. ?Dependant on articles and interviews with Mary Beth Franklin, I now view Social Security as an inflation adjusted annuity using a 32% enhancement in benefits if we postpone trying to get those benefits from age 66 to 70.?

Other posters who definitely are nearing retirement are leaving open the entranceway on the possibility that Social Security could be tweaked during their retirement years. VinceN wrote, ?Were definitely relying on Social Security being offered. We also recognize that Social Security benefits might be reduced later on for people.?

TOOOINTENSE is much more pessimistic. ?I wouldn?t factor Social Security into any retirement funding. I am not saying yet in retirement (due to my wife not wanting me to potter around the property), but it will be unwise to trust any government assistance to its qualifications in financial mismanagement. Would you let a drunk hold the critical for your cellar??

?The Uncertainty Is just too High?
While most posters aren?t expecting imminent cuts in Social Security benefits, many from the thread think that benefits shall be reduced for those who will retire decades from now.

Doug89 said plainly, ?I?m 22, and i also don?t expect Social Security to exist as i retire.?

Similarly pessimistic was AndThat, who wrote, ?We both just turned 30, we?ve both paid into Social Security for near many years, and neither of people honestly expect to make use of it whatsoever for retirement. The rewards may still be there in most form 35 years from now, and it also will be nice if there was something for individuals. But far more solvent everything has gone belly up in significantly less time.?

Approximately three decades from retirement, random1 isn?t factoring Social Security into retirement planning, either. ?I am not counting on buying a dime from Social Security, i assume that lots of my peers are intending similarly.?

That sentiment was echoed by Carrie, who wrote, ?I?m 45 and don?t factor Social Security into my retirement planning by any means. For my maturity, the uncertainty is simply too high.?

Retirement is 13-20 years away for Dabignip, but he isn?t relying on benefits either. ?I will be investing now as if neither my spouse nor I?ll have any Social Security benefits in the least. By necessity, it indicates a focused balance on both diversified global growth and capital preservation.?

Other posters who are ages from retirement don?t expect Social Security to head out but do expect that benefits is going to be changed or reduced. Skreet wrote, ?I?m 38 years. I anticipate Social Security to get there when I be ready to retire, but I expect the payout will likely be about 50% of what is currently provided. That is still pretty helpful and surely inadequate to call home off without additional retirement funds. Should Social Security benefits be around to us in this retirement, it?s all lagniappe that can boost our quality of living.?

Llaroo can be expecting changes towards benefits calculations. ?I?m 53, i expect that eventually before My business is scheduled to draw on my Social Security (I most certainly will not implement it until at the least age 67) you will see means-testing or another(a) reduction in the latest value of benefits. I have not included Social Security around my retirement planning, then it is a bonus basically get any Social Security by any means. When the remaining portion of the bits of my pension account keep falling into place, I plan to give my Social Security benefits to my children or grandchildren for the reason that way our economy is heading long term, they may want it.?

MWarny would also view Social Security benefits as gravy. ?I am convinced Let me get ?something,? but my retirement savings plan will not calculate those to be conservative.?

ArgonBeam, 38, moved in terms of to create aside a separate fund to generate up on an anticipated Social Security shortfall. ?We are let?s assume that I am going to have no Social Security to attract upon. I?d personally guess that means-testing or various other income limit are going to be executed, and i also won?t be eligible when time comes. My current retirement forecasts estimate how much Social Security I will receive monthly. Then i estimate simply how much I must save now to supply that monthly amount at age 67 (my planned retirement, as I believe retirement will improvement in the upcoming decades) assuming a modest 5% annualized return about what I will be saving now. I put aside that calculated amount into a pre-existing aftertax account (I max the nontaxable). Definitely a glass half-empty approach, but I?d rather not rely on money i will not have.?

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