Quote:She passed away last year.  I don't really know much about what the situation would have been if she were still alive.  I know she paid into Survivor Benefits, and my dad gets that.  But I don't really know much about it outside of that.  I remember the Social Security office told her that if she worked another quarter, she could collect, but she was blind, had heart problems, and had trouble walking because of a bad hip.  So working was pretty much out of the question. 


Retirement plans are pretty confusing.  I know they changed my wife's plan recently because they deemed what the school was doing was against the law for... some reason?  Neither of us know what's going on with that, but we're not going to count on it.  She won't retire for another at least 35 years in any case.  


Best thing anyone can do I think is just save their money.  My wife and I splurge once in a while (and we did have a new house built recently, but our house was falling apart, and we didn't have enough room.).  But counting on a retirement plan or social security in the long run is a bad idea.  I've heard too many case of people being burnt to trust it.  


My mom always said "They don't make anything simple," and it's pretty much true.  There's a lot of things they could simplify to save money and time.  But they won't do it.  

 

I am sorry for your loss.

 

I used to think my dad was fanatical about things like life insurance and retirement planning, but he proved me wrong in the end. He lived his last years comfortably on Social Security and pensions from three jobs he held as a career educator. One of the pension plans also qualified him for a good Medicare Supplement plan. Added on top of that he was a veteran, and there happens to be an excellent primary care center on a nearby Air Force base that he used for yearly physicals.

 

If only he'd planned his marriages as carefully as his future, but even there he got lucky. Three wives, but never paid a dime of alimony or child support (he had full custody of all his children) and even insured his one prenuptial agreement.

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