What about Social Security?
No one should depend on Social Security as the sole source of income in retirement. Despite all the discussion surrounding the Social Security “Trust Fund,” the system has operated, at least in part, on a “pay-as-you-go” basis since its origin, i.e., current payroll taxes pay benefits to current retirees. The sustainability of such a system is always in question. At minimum, the ability of such a structure to pay full, promised benefits years down the road is in question. As a matter of planning, we will assume that your actual benefit from Social Security will fall short of promises made today.