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How long before you qualify for Social Security?

I have over a decade of I wait it out to the end, a.k.a. age 67.

I’m so fucking sick & tired of these assholes, DL!

I’ve worked part time to full time jobs since I was 16 years old. Everyday, after school, I went to work in Englewood, N.J., on a store for an absolutely crazy, yet awesome Persian lady in order to save up for prom. Eventually, I moved to L.A., & continued working.

I have always had a job, as far back as I can recall. Like many, I’ve faced mental health challenges, due to being primarily raised by a mentally unwell mother, & a father who barely spoke English, however, I managed to eek out a little bit more for myself than a mere existence.

I’m PISSED.

I’m angry that men like Elon Musk view me as a mere number on the board of life. He claimed on national television, that he has NEVER done anything to hurt others, hence he doesn’t understand why vandals are fucking up his cars.

Well, guess what? Neither have I, done anything to hurt others, nor have MANY of us.

I’ve ALWAYS been the good one. I’ve ALWAYS taken the time to listen & learn. I have ALWAYS attempted to hear the other side of the story. I have ALWAYS given food, & at times shelter, to those who have less than me, which by the way, isn’t much, because I have never been wealthy, but whenever I see a need? I help. I give. I listen. I do my absolute best to understand & help. I’m ABSOLUTELY flawed AF, yet still manage to merely eke out even a semblance of dignity, for those who have less than I have. If it’s twenty bucks? I give it. If it’s a home cooked meal? I cook it & serve it. If it’s a couch for 3-6 months? I offer it. If it’s a ride to work? I pick you up & get you there.

I want to help you. I grew up in a situation where I barely received any love, or emotional love or empathy from others. I grew up in a family filled with many people, who “othered” me, because I genuinely enjoyed spending countless hours by myself, reading books, & absolutely anything I could get my hands on. I grew up in a family who LITERALLY, physically beat me, because I wanted to read & learn every single thing I could.

It’s Thursday, March 27, 2025, 6:04 am, PST. I’m still me. A poor person, who for the most part, am somewhat, no longer ashamed for being poor, and who almost has completely accepted that I’m not responsible for the way I was emotionally & physically abused as a kid.

It’s TOUGH. I swear to my bone marrow that I wake up every single fucking day, & do my best to shake it off & march/move on. I’m totally envious of people with decent parents. I ruminate on who & what I may have been, had my parents told me they loved me, even once.

Today? Here we all are, regardless of who abused us, or who loved us. We are all at the mercy of men & women who can fire massive amounts of people who REALLY need their jobs because they just signed their new and first mortgage. We are at the mercy of women who claim to have shot a helpless & innocent puppy & goat in the head. We are all at the mercy of persons, who for all intents & purposes, self admittedly, declare themselves to be sociopaths.

Please understand. I’m so much older now. I’m so much closer to the grave than most, & I’m finally genuinely assessing what really & actually matters. It completely breaks my fucking heart, that my country is fucking broken.

by Anonymousreply 11July 13, 2025 6:40 PM

I understand your angst OP. I'm almost 72, retired early at 53, and until Trump got into politics I lived a joyful, stress free life. I felt we had hope when Biden won the White House, but now I'm back to waking up every morning with a feeling of dread, and feel it all day long every day. I have voiced this to some people and they've said "why are you worried when you have nothing to worry about because you have money and security?". They don't understand when I say money does not necessarily bring peace & comfort. There are days when I get so upset over the state of our once great country that I think of my eventual demise as a welcome event that can't come soon enough. I've spent years primarily concentrating on building the best inheritance for my 2 godchildren possible Now I fear that even with financial security their futures are far from secure.

I hope we'll all make it through, but I also hope if we don't I'll be dead and gone before it all goes to hell.

by Anonymousreply 1March 27, 2025 2:44 PM

Never. I don't have enough earnings. But I get a 6-figure government pension.

by Anonymousreply 2March 27, 2025 4:44 PM

seven years

by Anonymousreply 3March 27, 2025 5:09 PM

My SS statement says if I keep working til age 67 I'll get $1,700/mo. Anyone in Mississippi have a trailer I can rent?

by Anonymousreply 4March 27, 2025 6:45 PM

Two years, 6 months and 4 days, but I'll probably keep working while collecting. I like my job, it pays well, I'm healthy and I need structure. I started doing volunteer work because when I do retire, I'm going to need to keep busy or else within a month I'll be living in my underwear, drinking beers and watching YouTubes from morning till night, when not traveling

- A Happy Worker Bee

by Anonymousreply 5March 27, 2025 7:18 PM

3 years ago at 62.

by Anonymousreply 6March 27, 2025 7:52 PM

I became eligible in 2018, but I decided to hold off until 70 and started collecting in 2023.

by Anonymousreply 7July 13, 2025 3:27 PM

A few years ago at 62. I had idly wondered if I might aim for 64 or 65, but there were various corporate upheavals that foretold layers of complexity and reorganization (for the umpteenth time.) It was my cue to exit and I'm very glad to have done.

by Anonymousreply 8July 13, 2025 3:40 PM

I am 62 with a birthday in September. I plan on retiring in June of 2027 - two years from now. I want to retire in June because I don't want to work more summers than I absolutely have to. I plan on covering my own insurance until Medicare kicked in - about 3 months. I want to continue to work part-time within the maximum permitted without affecting my social security - currently $23,400. I may now have a problem. I believe you could earn that amount regardless of when you retired after starting to collect. I heard there may be a change to a calendar year. In other words, the 6 months of income I earn in 2027 would count towards my maximum, which would far exceed the maximum. If this is true, I will have to delay collecting social security until January 2028. I guess it will be OK and I can fund the additional 6 months with the deferment and not be locked into a maximum for part-time work for the remainder of 2027. Social security amount would increase too during the delay in collecting. I just want out of the rat-race.

by Anonymousreply 9July 13, 2025 4:40 PM

This country has gone to complete ruin.

by Anonymousreply 10July 13, 2025 5:19 PM

I got fully vested in my company's pension just this year, and have another ten years to get the most out of SSA. I think I did everything right with my retirement planning. And yet with the shenanigans going on in the government right now I don't develop a sense of financial safety. Too much hinges on DC not messing with things. Alas, they ARE messing with things. Even if they leave social security alone, there are other areas that puts peoples financial safety at risk, like high deficit, lax regulations of corporate rules and stock market etc. It's really unsettling. It doesn't help that a whopping 40% of the US population have only Social Security for their retirement income.

by Anonymousreply 11July 13, 2025 6:40 PM
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