Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

The links I posted outline this story pretty well though it's confusing.  Basically, a state pension in many cases is used in place of any SS benefit.  They don't pay FICA, they don't get the benefit, so it's basically an even proposition, or should be.

Sure, I suspect we'd all be better off without FICA and SS, especially badger.  I just figured I paid FICA taxes to support SS for folks getting the benefit then like my parents.

It's a weird system, really, but enormously popular of course, third rail and all that.

And neither Congress nor any President seems willing to fix it.

I actually have no issues with SS as a whole.  I don't think congress should be allowed to raid the fund and replace it with IOU's. 

The SS Trust Fund has to be invested in something.  I can't think of a better option than special Treasury bonds.  

If I was in your shoes, the one thing that would dictate my decision would be medical benefits/coverage.  I'm possibly biased there and in the past I would have solely said "bet on yourself," but my family and I went through a lot the last 12 months and my wife's medical benefits kept us afloat. As we get older and medical costs have skyrocketed, having poor coverage when betting on yourself can be destructive if the family isn't fully covered. Luckily, my wife works for the Cleveland Clinic and my $450k surgery only ran us $350 out of pocket.  So long story short there, look into the medical expense side closely. Not that people will encounter what our family did, but that's an area to prepare for the unknown.

Outside of that. Bet on YOU. You'll be surprised how creative and what we as people are capable of when our backs are against the wall and we have to rely on the well being of ourselves and family when we have to count on ourselves. Creativity and thinking outside of the box blossoms and we are able to reach milestones we never thought possible.  The threat of failure and letting people down we care about, sure can push to reach beyond who we had been in the past.

I had a parent company that I put in 18 years with. The last 5 I ran essentially a setup similar to a franchise beneath their umbrella. The owners I had dinner with 3 times a year with our families. I thought trust was through the roof. When I fell to harsh medical situation and there was the possibility I was done professionally, I was no longer of use to them. They closed up my setup without conversation, without explanation and there's still well into 6 figures "missing" with no explanation from my reserve account with them. I was no longer a benefit to them, they took advantage of what looked like dire medical situation and now I have to have attorneys, doj and other entities involved and it's a mess.

So why share that? Because it pushed my back against the wall and made me bet on myself in a way i didn't think was possible. I still medically wasn't approved to drive yet, yet I found ways to rebuild a business and become incredibly creative. I had 20 people that worked for me in the past stand by my side and help rebuild it and now I don't have to fear shady people that only care about me(you) when you increase the bottom line. It has shifted my mindset to do whatever possible to bet on yourself because businesses rarely actually care about people and they truly only care about $$$$.

If/when you bet on yourself, make the primary focus surrounding yourself with good people. We can never build success solely on our own and having amazing people around you will help reach things over time that seem like a dream. 

Sorry for the long response, but whenever I see someone at this difficult decision in life, I love watching them take such a huge risk and bet on themselves because so often it leads to life changing results. Never easy.. but life changing and i don't want to let fear keep them in a position they never took that chance. No matter what, best of luck with the decision.

Posts like this is why I made this topic.  Thank you for sharing your story. 

The medical benefits thing scares me.  But then I think about my friend who sat next to me (we have cubicles, desk thingy's).  He died of cancer last January.  All the best insurance in the world and he lasted 4 months. 

At the same time you realize that even if you work your 30 years (or whatever) the insurance you have until Medicaid kicks in sucks and it's expensive. 

Since you started your own business, how do you handle medical insurance for your employees, if at all? 

Sorry to hear about your friend. The most difficult part of getting older has been losing people or watching people struggle medically that i've been close with. It has lead me to appreciate every day more than I did in the past, but losing good people in life is never easy.

Admittedly, i'm terrible with the knowledge of the medical side so I'll tap into my business partner and send you a message about our medical benefits setup for the rest of your staff. I have not been largely involved in that segment because my kids a I are underneath my wife's coverage, which is amazing coverage. I've had no complaints from our staff on their medical so it must be decent so I'll share when i get some details. 

Your statement on BETTING ON YOU really resonates with me. In fact I have uttered these very words. Because the worst mistake I ever made was trusting someone close, committing resources, time, money, and trust to merge my business with theirs only to be stabbed in the back at the last minute. I gambled and lost because I bet on somebody else. I won’t make that mistake again. 

Shortly after this incident I did in fact make a pretty good bet on myself, I took on some commitments and risks and now I find myself at the crossroads to no surprise. 

I am reminded a bit of this old geezer at work.  He hit 65 and was at the top rank of the technical ladder.  He was from eastern Europe.  I got to know him a bit, I really didn't think that much of him, his approach was entirely Edisonian.  Anyway, he had to retire at 65, but he kept coming to work.  They let him keep his lab, and he came every day, I'd see him at lunch.  I don't know how long he "worked", but a friend told me he just had no "life" elsewhere.  He would have had a ton of money at his level, millions.

I felt a bit sad for him.  

There was another fellow with office next to mine who was at the same top level, to the point they created another level above that just for him.  He seemed pretty reasonable, we chatted pretty often, it was funny seeing all the young sycophants coming to see him.  He told me he'd come to work as long as they let him.

I understand feeling the "status" at his level, OK fine, but it's work, and that status isn't going to get you anything but some sense of being important.  You're not.  You're a big fish in a small pond at best.

It is great in your career if you did a few things to be proud of of course, employing others is great, getting a business running is great.  The things I'd say I was proud of are all things for which I got zero recognition.  It happens.