Why Social Security is Important to Latinos
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: September 22, 2016
Few things are more important to a secure and dignified retirement than Social Security. It plays a large role in the economic well-being of Latinos. According to the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, Latino and African American households have significantly less in retirement savings than white households, and about half of elderly Latinos receive more than 90 percent of their income from Social Security.
President Obama has pressed consistently to ensure that Latinos, and all Americans, recover from the lingering economic depression so that they can have a strong foundation for retirement. At the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, he pointed out in his remarks that every budget request submitted to Congress has included a proposal to automatically enroll workers without access to a workplace retirement plan in an IRA. Soon after that, the U.S. Department of the Treasury launched myRA, a simple, safe, and affordable new savings option for those who don’t have access to a retirement savings plan at work.
Regardless of the efforts of President Obama and others, the responsibility to save for retirement is on each of us. Social Security offers a basic level of protection, but it was never meant to be the only source of post-retirement income. Unfortunately, only 27 percent of Latinos between the ages of 21 and 63 participate in an employment-based retirement plan.
Our retirement security depends on us making a commitment to put money away, particularly at the beginning of our careers. A 25-year-old who begins saving $100 a month and earns five percent interest will have more than $150,000 at the age of 65.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, one of the things we can celebrate is the economic progress of Latinos in this country. The latest Census data states that in 2015 Latinos saw the fastest growth in median household income and access to health insurance coverage and the largest declines in poverty rates. To continue that progress, we must also think about how we create safe and secure retirements for ourselves and for our families. President Obama has said, “If you’ve worked hard all your life, you deserve a secure retirement.” Social Security does its part in securing your today and tomorrow, but this means we should do our part and take advantage of the opportunities that allow us to save to make sure we have a dignified retirement.
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James C.
By the way, when is “I am an American Month”. I was born here as were my grandparents, illegals need to be deported not rewarded.
James C.
Question. What jackass can’t read and follow the Constitution of the US? No way, at NO Place does it say to give benefits to illegals/criminals who have broken the laws of the land. There is a process called Naturalization to become a citizen of this country.
Moneyman
It’s time to stop giving social security to those that never put any money into social security. Just only to those that actually worked and money was taken out from their paychecks should get social security. Oh, I forgot the spouses too should get social security.
tammy
It matters to all people, unless you happen to be an “adult disabled child” who marries an “able bodied person”.
I am 45 years old, a mother of three older children and physically disabled ( I was born with cerebral palsy ). I’ve never collected one red cent of money from the Socialist Security System, even though I have applied several times and they find me disabled.
Technically, I am an “adult disabled child” (please look this up, it is NOT SSI or SSDI) but have never been able to secure any benefits whatsoever from the Socialist Security system, even under that program because I got married to an “Able bodied person”. The Socialist Security system is too busy paying benefits to some people who scam the system and worrying about adult disabled children (who they pay benefits to off of a parents record) marrying an able bodied person. This gives them the justification to cut off benefits to the adult disabled child because the husband (in theory) can now support the disabled person. This theory works great, if your husband is rich and you have no need for money but what it actually does, is to force two adults (one disabled one able bodied person) to live off of one income. In the real world, the socialist security system is forcing adult disabled children to only marry other disabled persons (and NO able bodied persons) at the threat of loosing any and all benefits that they are entitled to.
If you are a physically disabled person (an adult disabled child) and you happen to marry an “able bodied person” you will be loosing out on a lifetime of benefits, all because of a one word “rule” that prohibits you from marrying an “able bodied person”. Best of all, they never tell you about their “Rule” so that they can justify cutting off any benefits that you may be due.
Because you are physically disabled (adult disabled child) and you choose not to marry another adult disabled child or disabled person drawing off socialist security, you WILL LOOSE ANY AND ALL BENEFITS FOR LIFE. This means that the SOCIALIST SECURITY system is TELLING YOU WHO YOU ARE ALLOWED TO MARRY and who you are
NOT ALLOWED TO MARRY! It is a discriminatory act “rule” and should be ILLEGAL!
Even though I am permanently and totally disabled, if I marry an “able bodied person”, somehow that marriage makes everything ok and I am no longer considered disabled (in the eyes of the socialist security system). Magically (because I married an able bodied person), the pixie fairies come down and cure my disability, because now I can just go out and find gainful employment, no one will discriminate against my physical disability and everything will be grand, right? Somehow magically, marrying an able bodied person makes my physical disablility dissappear and now I am cured, right? WRONG!
The issue is a special “Rule” that the Socialist Security System uses to discriminate against “certain” people. If you are a “physically disabled person” (AKA-certain people) and happen to marry an able bodied person, then the SOCIALIST SECURITY system will use special “Rules” to legally discriminate against you and deny you benefits, even if you appeal online.
The SOCIALIST SECURITY system has caused me a lot of economic hardship all because I married an able bodied person. The SOCIALIST SECURITY system thinks someone who is physically disabled (permanently and totally disabled) marries an “able bodied person”, that somehow magically they are cured of their physical disability and two people can survive off the able bodied persons income. WOW, talk about a bunch of bureaucratic idiotic thinking, that somehow this would not cause a financial hardship….. amazing.
The rules that the Social Security Administration uses to legally discriminate against persons who are “Adult Disabled Children” who happen to marry an able bodied person, are discriminatory. This is loosely referred to as the “marriage penalty” but I call it exactly what it is, a legal form of discrimination.
I firmly believe this rule, is an act of bias, prejudice and discrimination against people who (by no fault of their own) are born disabled and happen to marry an able bodied person
Please write your Congressional Representative and tell them to end this modern day form of Legal Discrimination. In this day of fairness and equality, there are still some people suffering from an outdated and oppressive bureaucratic rule.
(PS. notice how the only thing any of these SOCIALIST SECURITY workers ever say are quotes of the rules or processes, like a worker drone. They are unable to address any topics that fall outside of their rule books). Typical bureaucracy and bureaucratic responses, like trying to argue over lost change with a vending machine!
Neal E.
The folks who are getting free stuff, don’t like the folks who are paying for the free stuff,
because the folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer afford to pay for both free stuff and their own stuff.
The folks who are paying for the free stuff want the free stuff to stop, and the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more free stuff on top of the free stuff they are already getting
Now… The people who are forcing the people to pay for the free stuff have told the people who are RECEIVING the free stuff, that the people who are PAYING for the free stuff, are being mean, prejudiced, and racist. (the current class and race warfare that is being used in this election)
So… The people who are GETTING the free stuff have been convinced they need to hate the people who are paying for the free stuff by the people who are forcing some people to pay for their free stuff, and giving them the free stuff in the first place
We have let the free stuff giving go on for so long that there are now more people getting free stuff than paying for the free stuff.
Now understand this. All great democracies have committed financial suicide somewhere between 200 and 250 years after being founded. The reason? The voters figured out they could vote themselves money from the treasury by electing people who promised to give them money from the treasury in exchange for electing them.
Thomas Jefferson said it best: “The democracy (Republic) will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
The United States officially became a Republic in 1776, 235 years ago. The number of people now getting free stuff outnumbers the people paying for the free stuff. We have one chance to change that On Nov 8th, 2016. Failure to change that spells the end of the USA as we know it.
“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money”. — Margaret Thatcher
Patricia R.
Vote for the best canidate. Do not be fooled by others. Believe in God and live within your means. Stop shopping. Period.
tony
If you are not working and waiting on Social Security retirement, then you minus well make a few visits to the psychiatrist/psychologist office and apply for Social Security disability for a mental illness.
I get the free Social Security disability money and it is great. The amount it more than I would get if I retire. You can look at your social security statement and see the difference.
tony
The Democrats new 2016 election campaign is to expand Social Security. It will be a disaster like how they expanded Medicaid.
You can’t expand Social Security retirement age down because you can’t retire earlier than 62. They are going to expand it in the other direction increasing the age of retirement.
Chris
Tony you do realize that the age for full retirement was last raised during President Reagan’s reign right? Just a little info there for ya bud!
Actually the best thing would be to lift the cap on paying Social Security taxes!
tony
They also relax the rules for mental illness at the same time allowing me to get free disability for mental illness.
Johnston
Hi Ms. Rodriquez,
Hope to find you in good health and spirit.
With all due respect, I would like to humbly convey a message on behalf of my father.
I am a oldest son of Mr. Betwel Assu Palik, date of birth: 10/18/30 with Kosrae, FSM, SS# 005464 and we’ve been seeking for help and assistance with no avail with Social Security Guam and Marshall Islands because he don’t remember his Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Social Securiy Number.
By the way, my father used to work in Guam from 1950 to 1962 during the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands contracted under the United States Navy controlled the TTPI from a headquarters in Guam until 1951, when the United States Department of the Interior took over control, administering the territory from a base in Saipan.
After his job in Guam he transfered to Kwajalein Military base to continued working for the GLOBAL controlled by the United States Army from 1963 to 1977. After about 14 years he worked in Kwajalein, Marshall Islands we moved to Kosrae islands in the Federated States of Micronesia.
He continued to work in Kosrae until he reach his retirement age. My dad never get his Social Security benefits from Guam and Kwajalein after his full retirement age at 70 years in 2000.
Please help and advice.
I am looking forward to hearing from you online soon.
Thank you,
Johnston Palik
Elcho
This damn administration is nothing but lies.
But if you were a serious, stable & responsible person throughout your working life & saved enough for the golden yrs. of your life, the situation won’t be that bad right now.
That doesn’t not mean that the liar at the W H is right.
He’s the devil in the form of man….!!!!
The ones that had voted for, now they can enjoy it all.
But still there’s more to go…………. you can gain momentum by voting for the big next liar in lane & her degenerated unrealistic husband.
Anyway the whole country is doomed, thanks to the color man.
Enjoy it………….
VERNE J.
Wow..you need to get back on your meds. Have a Nice day
Elcho
I never was in meds.
But you sure are a non-educated dumb person or blind.
What you can do is, come down from your tree & see the reality.
Now go vote for the liar in chief libertarian doomed as you’re.
Keep collecting from welfare & the rest of the gov. free beast all you’re