[Harmless Teddy Bear]

It's still run by the Social Security program.

And Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services run both programs but one is paid for and one is welfare.

Do you know the return for the first person to receive SS?

They are dead.

A long time ago. Everyone now on SS (not SSI) paid into the system fully.

As people live longer nowadays, they end up getting paid more than they put in, even accounting for interest/inflation.

Nope.

I ran the numbers probably about 20 years ago.

A guy who never earned more then minimum wage, worked only 40 hours a week, fifty weeks a year from age 20 to age 67 and put his money in government bonds would retire with over a million.

Drawing $4000 a month from that account and containing to invest in just government bonds the account would continue to grow and the principle would never be touched.

[Svartalfiar]

And Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services run both programs but one is paid for and one is welfare.

One is partially paid for.


They are dead.

A long time ago. Everyone now on SS (not SSI) paid into the system fully.

And managed to receive a 900x return.
Fully paid in doesn't mean anything - you don't have an account with your name on it, with your principle and interest/investment return. You get money paid out based on your income, and it pays out nonstop until you die. Live long enough, and you'll make a better return than investments.


I ran the numbers probably about 20 years ago.

A guy who never earned more then minimum wage, worked only 40 hours a week, fifty weeks a year from age 20 to age 67 and put his money in government bonds would retire with over a million.

Drawing $4000 a month from that account and containing to invest in just government bonds the account would continue to grow and the principle would never be touched.

What does that have to do with SS? There is no investment, no return on the money paid in. That money isn't even put into itself in bonds, it simply goes into general revenue, and later years' general revenue is what is used to pay out. At just a random payout rate, with increases based on cost of living, NOT on any actual return from the $$ that aren;t even in the account.