3443: [Part 1] Social Security: How Secure and When to Take It by JL Collins on Retirement Strategy

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🗓️ 1 February 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3443: J.L. Collins reflects on his long-standing skepticism of Social Security, only to find it surprisingly robust as he nears eligibility. By walking through the history, mechanics, and current realities of the system, including its $2.7 trillion Trust Fund, Collins dispels common fears and explains why the benefits are still far more solid than many assume. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://jlcollinsnh.com/2013/01/29/social-security-how-secure-and-when-to-take-it/ Quotes to ponder: "It is important to understand that any time you invest money, that money gets spent." "Cash is a really lousy way to hold money long-term. Little by little it gets destroyed by inflation." "All my financial planning has been based on the idea that if it wasn’t, no problem. If it was, that would be a pleasant surprise." Episode references: AARP: https://www.aarp.org Social Security: https://www.ssa.gov Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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1:15.2	How Secure and When to Take It, Part 1 by J.L. Collins of J.L. Collins.N.H.com. Back in the early
1:24.6	1980s, I remember railing against Social Security to my mother who was on it.
1:30.3	She'd grown up with the specter of little old ladies living on cat food.
1:35.3	That was a real possibility when she was a girl and the elderly were the poorest group in America.
1:41.3	I explained to her that if I and my two sisters were let off the social security
1:46.6	hook, we could not only give my mom more than her monthly check, we'd have extra left to feather
1:53.3	our own nests. She wasn't buying it. And I wasn't buying it either. I never figured social security
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