Asking for everyone else who thought they could retire on SS at age 65.
Have you read this yet?
"There is good and bad news for older Americans: The Social Security full retirement age increased again in 2022 for some individuals – but it marks the last year that the age will change.
The full retirement age – the age at which individuals are eligible to claim their full Social Security benefit – rose to 67 this year for those who were born in 1960 (and who will turn 62 this year). From this year forward, the full retirement age will remain 67 for anyone born after 1960, barring any future changes by Congress."
SS at 65 receiving 100% has not been for a while. My DH was born 1947. To receive full 100% he had to be 66. I started collecting at 62 and got 75%.
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/1943-delay.html
I do think the social contract or language around SS should be adjusted in the public sphere. We need to be far more transparent on the national scale that SS is not meant to be one's entire plan.
I also feel schools and parents should be teaching about investing for your future, living within a budget etc... from an early age. I am glad my family had the means and experience to teach me about saving and how to growth wealth from an early age.
I feel kind of guilty here. Retired at 62. Have already had from Uncle Sam much more than I ever put into the system, and as an RN who made pretty good money and paid pretty decent taxes (quite happily in fact), I put a lot in. Alas. We live longer.
Certainly, sometime in the future, things will be changed. I think it is highly unlikely we can predict now what ways they will change. My advice, work hard, save even harder, and best of luck to each and every one of us.
If something doesn't change with administration of and collection of SS you are right. (Remove the income cap and save the system, is my opinion.)
I started a decade before your age putting money away for retirement. Because even if it survived, I would never collect enough for the lifestyle my wages created.
Unfortunately, many people did and do view SS as the retirement plan, mostly because their grandparents survived on it. Times have changed and ideas need updating but, many don't even want to work nowadays, so, whadda ya do?
Jokes aside was SS really ever meant to be solely what you retire on?
I have read articles where Medicare has been proposed to keep in step with the SS full benefit age and others where it has been proposed to start at 60.
Currently it is still set at 65.