[Comus]

Congress will confiscate all private retirement funds to save Social Security. Your IRA's and any other tax deferred instruments, and your company retirement funds. There are far too few people who are planning for the future and their votes will be minor compared to the destroyers. You will be better off with regular savings and real property. The mutual fund peddlers will deny this, but wait and see what happens.

[Dianna]

We received my husband's SS statement recently. Here is what I see as a problem (not necessarily a huge problem, but a problem nevertheless).

If my husband dies, I can collect benefits for myself and our two children to the tune of $3000 per month.

If my husband dies, he is well insured. I would not have a house or car payment. I would have sufficient funds to go back to school and gain a skill allowing me to support my family.

My husband has paid in less than $20k. I would be paid well over the amount that he has contributed.

This money may well have been intended to keep widows and children from being poor, but quite frankly, I would be very well off financially (until the youngest turns 16)if my husband died.