Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an intergral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on it's evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
What A clusterfuck SS and Medicare is...
Started collecting my SS at age 62, fine I get less, my full retirement age is 66 and 10 months. I actually retired completely at 59 and moved abroad living on savings. If I'd filed from abroad they want paperwork proving you are still alive every year , but because of Covid-19 Scam-demic I returned to the USA just in time to File here (And vote in 2020) After a year we relocated to another state and since I no longer own property in the USA I had to resume working.
In 2022 I was over the early retirement cap of 19,500 by about 8,000 so they will take half that over the cap back, I'm still paying SS taxes from my Job, and my SS is also income taxable.
I'll be signing up fore Medicare soon as I turn 65 in Sept. and you get penalized if you sign up late. They deduct around 140 bucks from SS for Medicare, and you need a supplemental plan, 2 types to chose from Advantage which is free but really sucks, or Medi-gap which sucks less, but you have to pay a few hundred a month for.
So my SS is 1205 (14,500 a year) but I owe about 1,450 in Income tax, will lose another 4,000 for being over the cap, will pay 140 for Medicare and around 200-300 a month for the Supplemental. Then they take 7.65% from my pay for SS and Medicare...LOL what a clusterfuck.
If things aren't getting better by the 2024 election I'm moving the fuck back to my house abroad, dropping the suplimental, and finding out how to stop them from taking the 140 bucks a month out of my SS, I can live pretty decently abroad on 1,200 a month even though I have to buy international health insurance.
I know a couple who are living out their retirement in Panama, where English is spoken widely and things are cheaper; they bought a condo and worked out the math as best they could. Also know a few who went to South America, but life restrictions and crime are pretty bad in that degenerating-to-socialism country. If you don't mind, where did you go?
Philippines, Wife's country... Most people speak English to some degree. All business is in English Cost of Rent, Services, Rice, Fish is cheap, everything else higher. Was paying 250 for a new 2/1 apt. Haircut 1 buck, fix a flar for 2 bucks plus parts, nails done for a woman 1-2 bucks, rice and seafood half the USA, but gas, electricity, and anything name brand is higher. Most people there earn 7 bucks a day and support others with the money
I know some folks from there, they worked here and sent everything home, huge sacrifice but they hope to retire young. If the country develops a natural fuel source, they'll be invincible.
My brother in law (with wife and adult son) moved to Philippines and lived there for about 15 + years. Said he lived like a king on very little money, large home, maids, etc. The son enjoyed the activity at the local bars, where ladies were in abundance.