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Around the Internet => Antimustachian Wall of Shame and Comedy => Topic started by: elysianfields on June 05, 2015, 04:07:07 AM

Title: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: elysianfields on June 05, 2015, 04:07:07 AM
From FedSmith:

http://www.fedsmith.com/2015/06/03/gao-half-of-american-households-have-no-retirement-savings/ (http://www.fedsmith.com/2015/06/03/gao-half-of-american-households-have-no-retirement-savings/)

Perhaps they're the same households who can't afford an unexpected $400 expense (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/nearly-half-of-americans-say-they-can't-afford-an-unexpected-$400-expense/ (http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/antimustachian-wall-of-shame-and-comedy/nearly-half-of-americans-say-they-can't-afford-an-unexpected-$400-expense/))?
Title: Re: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: minority_finance_mo on June 05, 2015, 04:36:04 AM
The discepancy between households that have retirement savings and those who don't is HUGE. One would expect those with retirement savings to also have a higher median income, but 3x more is really crazy.

I don't know if you're the author, but I enjoyed his writing style :)
Title: Re: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: elysianfields on June 05, 2015, 09:48:41 AM
Nope, I'm not the author.

Interesting that the author only discussed one possible retirement solution (increased Social Security benefits), but not the others (increasing OASDI taxes to cover all wages, increasing the OASDI tax rate, privatizing Social Security, increased financial education, forced defined contribution plan investments...).  Perhaps the ultimate result will be a little of this and a little of that...

I think one's opinion comes from one's assessment about human nature.  Some humans are willing to set aside for the future; others live only for the present.  Is it therefore fair to tax the ants , who defer gratification, thereby reducing their returns, in order to protect the grasshoppers from themselves?
Title: Re: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: Capsu78 on June 05, 2015, 10:42:49 AM
A whole lot of Cra Cra down in the comments.
Title: Re: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: dsmexpat on June 05, 2015, 11:44:38 AM
from the comments

"I am reading everything below and it amazes me that most writers here blame poor people with no discretionary income to save for their retirement. this is proof the average American has 100 IQ."

That's pretty incredible.
Title: Re: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: thd7t on June 05, 2015, 02:32:07 PM
from the comments

"I am reading everything below and it amazes me that most writers here blame poor people with no discretionary income to save for their retirement. this is proof the average American has 100 IQ."

That's pretty incredible.
I was trying to figure out how that proves anything about IQ and whether it's unusual that the average American has an average IQ.  Couldn't make heads or tails of this comment.
Title: Re: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: Financial.Velociraptor on June 05, 2015, 08:06:43 PM
The average person has an IQ of 100.  Consider: Half of them are even stupider!
Title: Re: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: Indexer on June 05, 2015, 10:54:55 PM
The scary part of that report isn't that half of american households have no retirement savings.

The scary part is that almost half of households OVER 55 don't have retirement savings.
Title: Re: GAO: Half of American Households Have No Retirement Savings
Post by: MgoSam on June 08, 2015, 09:59:49 AM
The average person has an IQ of 100.  Consider: Half of them are even stupider!

“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.”
-George Carlin