I had to blog about this article. I have a lot of feelings when it comes to living on social security because it’s what my parents are going to be doing.
It can be done but it certainly isn’t ideal. If you have any debt, you probably can’t pull it off. Also, depending on how early you opt to start taking social security, you may have very reduced benefits.
Here is a quote that I wanted to highlight:
“She’s fortunate, she says, because her treatments for colon cancer — which has spread to her lungs and liver — don’t require a lot of costly medications. “I think the good Lord looks over me,” Rathbun says. Luck????? Her cancer has spread but she feels lucky that it doesn’t take a lot of expensive medication? I’m glad that she has a positive outlook, but it just doesn’t seem ideal that her concern is about what medicine she can afford in this situation.
Ending up in this situation scares me to death. I don’t want to end up having such limited choices and being at the mercy of the bureaucracy. It’s yet another reason that I am passionate about saving for the future. I pray that I’m not hit with an illness that puts me out of work and puts all of what I’ve saved so far in jeopardy. All I can do is plan to the best of my ability and hope that things work out.
Anyway, I could ramble on about this subject in length. Check out the article and see what you think. If anything, it might scare you in to saving a bit more.
http://www.usatoday.com