Just wondering

As the debate on Social Security has now gone back to a “simmer”, I thought I would throw in another 2¢ worth of opinion from my limitless resources.

Laurae and were talking about this the other day; as we had just gone over our finances and I made the observation that it sure was a blessing that I had gone to work for a company that had a 401(k) program as well as a pension fund. And she said that it was even more of a blessing that we had taken advantage of it. Well, why wouldn’t we?

Because we simply had no idea that it might be a good idea. Growing up in the 40’s and 50’s, there were no high school classes that would teach you about finances; nothing more than how to fill out a check and maintain a savings account. I had spent some time in junior college and Laurae had 3 years at Pepperdine College, so we’re not stupid people. But since I followed a career in construction and Laurae was a stay at home mom, where were we supposed to learn something about retirement planning? Life was busy enough with work and 3 children to raise.

Fast forward to today…how many high school graduates know more about this subject than we did at the same age? How about advise from parents? I can tell you that the financial advice I received was fairly brief, “Don’t get into construction.” and, “Get a job with a utility company.” You can see how well I followed that advice.

So how does the government propose to educate the millions upon millions of people who don’t have a clue as to how to protect themselves for retirement? Or is it just, “You snooze, you lose”?