The SS DI Trust Fund is exhausted in 2016. As has been done 11 times before, T-bills will be transferred from the main SSTF to the DI Trust Fund. SS has been running in the red since 2010 and will continue to do so until the SSTF runs out of T-bills in 2034. Then, by law, benefits will be cut based on total revenue available.
>>>Most people get far more out than they contributed<<<
That is true if there is no Investment of those funds over a Working Career spanning 45 Years or more.
I had our Financial guy work up an estimate of how much money I would have had all that money (including the matching Employer funds which is considered part of my compensation) was invested over my projected Working Career. For me, that is age 18 to age 65.
He had to make some assumptions, since I was only 55 at the time. Even then, he made sure to only use conservative investment vehicles in his estimations.
The result surprised even me. At age 65 he estimated I would have had approximately $2,500,000 and my Wife would have approximately $1,500,000.
Doesn’t matter anyway. I will start collecting at age 62 simply because I have Leukemia and my Lifespan will be somewhat limited. In other words, they will profit from my early demise. My Oncologist gave me a “survival’ window of age 67, but that is a fluid number. Better safe than sorry.
Remember, Social security is being looted by the government by taking the money and issuing IOU’s. By law social security can only invest in Government bonds. If we ever changed that law greater profits may be available. Of course, Government would get greedy and screw that one up too?