If dying single, perhaps we should marry a person in need on the way out

[cthulu2016]

If you have heirs you can put together a pre-nuptial agreement to bar any inheritance (where state law allows), but the survivor would continue to have their status as widow or widower in the eyes of the government.

Social Security is a huge driver of wealth from single and two-earner households (who lose big in SS) to "stay at home" spouses whose benefits come without any prior personal contribution.

http://hosted.ap.org/interactives/2012/social-security/ (page 1/2)

So anyone with a work history who dies single is leaving money "on the table."

The system would collapse otherwise, because the overpayment from everybody else is what allows payments to speciffic persons who did not contribute to the system. (It's a relic of a world where it was assumed that women were not in the workforce. In real social effect the system penalizes women for working.)

But in cases of great need (seriously poor people), a sham marriage is something within the legal power of Americans that can direct government resources (for life) to a sensible recipient.

And depending on how DOMA shakes out, that recipient may not even need to be be opposite sex.

[Downwinder]

1. Half of what I receive would not be worth the effort.

[DURHAM D]

3. If you pass before your spouse

they will then get what you now receive.

[Downwinder]

7. Then I guess I had better die.

[undeterred]

2. There are a lot of people who pay into Social Security for years and never

ever draw on it because they die before they get the chance. I can think of 3 relatives who died before the age of 65 and a couple who only drew on it for a year or two. So a lot of people never get back what they put into it.

[duffyduff]

5. You don't miss what you don't have. n/t

[YarnAddict]

8. Most recipients

receive far more than they ever pay in. Life expectancy when SS was set up was no where near what it is now.

[Oilwellian]

9. Actually...

the only ones who are living longer are the wealthy. The poor are losing ground in life expectancy. The middle class has stayed exactly the same.

[YarnAddict]

11. I found this table

Of course, it isn't broken down by class. I would love to see a link proving your assertion.

All races White Black
Year Both sexes Male Female Both sexes
2010 78.7 76.2 81.1 79.0 76.5 81.3 75.1 71.8 78.0
2007 77.9 75.4 80.4 78.4 75.9 80.8 73.6 70.0 76.8
2006 77.7 75.1 80.2 78.2 75.7 80.6 73.2 69.7 76.5
2005 77.8 75.2 80.4 78.3 75.7 80.8 73.2 69.5 76.5
2004 77.8 75.2 80.4 78.3 75.7 80.8 73.1 69.8 76.3
2003 77.5 74.8 80.1 78.0 75.3 80.5 72.7 69.0 76.1
2002 77.3 74.5 79.9 77.7 75.1 80.3 72.3 68.8 75.6
2001 77.2 74.4 79.8 77.7 75.0 80.2 72.2 68.6 75.5
2000 77.0 74.3 79.7 77.6 74.9 80.1 71.9 68.3 75.2
1999 76.7 73.9 79.4 77.3 74.6 79.9 71.4 67.8 74.7
1998 76.7 73.8 79.5 77.3 74.5 80.0 71.3 67.6 74.8
1997 76.5 73.6 79.4 77.2 74.3 79.9 71.1 67.2 74.7
1996 76.1 73.1 79.1 76.8 73.9 79.7 70.2 66.1 74.2
1995 75.8 72.5 78.9 76.5 73.4 79.6 69.6 65.2 73.9
1994 75.7 72.4 79.0 76.5 73.3 79.6 69.5 64.9 73.9
1993 75.5 72.2 78.8 76.3 73.1 79.5 69.2 64.6 73.7
1992 75.8 72.3 79.1 76.5 73.2 79.8 69.6 65.0 73.9
1991 75.5 72.0 78.9 76.3 72.9 79.6 69.3 64.6 73.8
1990 75.4 71.8 78.8 76.1 72.7 79.4 69.1 64.5 73.6
1989 75.1 71.7 78.5 75.9 72.5 79.2 68.8 64.3 73.3
1988 74.9 71.4 78.3 75.6 72.2 78.9 68.9 64.4 73.2
1987 74.9 71.4 78.3 75.6 72.1 78.9 69.1 64.7 73.4
1986 74.7 71.2 78.2 75.4 71.9 78.8 69.1 64.8 73.4
1985 74.7 71.1 78.2 75.3 71.8 78.7 69.3 65.0 73.4
1984 74.7 71.1 78.2 75.3 71.8 78.7 69.5 65.3 73.6
1983 74.6 71.0 78.1 75.2 71.6 78.7 69.4 65.2 73.5
1982 74.5 70.8 78.1 75.1 71.5 78.7 69.4 65.1 73.6
1981 74.1 70.4 77.8 74.8 71.1 78.4 68.9 64.5 73.2
1980 73.7 70.0 77.4 74.4 70.7 78.1 68.1 63.8 72.5
1979 73.9 70.0 77.8 74.6 70.8 78.4 68.5 64.0 72.9
1978 73.5 69.6 77.3 74.1 70.4 78.0 68.1 63.7 72.4
1977 73.3 69.5 77.2 74.0 70.2 77.9 67.7 63.4 72.0
1976 72.9 69.1 76.8 73.6 69.9 77.5 67.2 62.9 71.6
1975 72.6 68.8 76.6 73.4 69.5 77.3 66.8 62.4 71.3
1974 72.0 68.2 75.9 72.8 69.0 76.7 66.0 61.7 70.3
1973 71.4 67.6 75.3 72.2 68.5 76.1 65.0 60.9 69.3
19722 71.2 67.4 75.1 72.0 68.3 75.9 64.7 60.4 69.1
1971 71.1 67.4 75.0 72.0 68.3 75.8 64.6 60.5 68.9
1970 70.8 67.1 74.7 71.7 68.0 75.6 64.1 60.0 68.3
1960 69.7 66.6 73.1 70.6 67.4 74.1 — — —
1950 68.2 65.6 71.1 69.1 66.5 72.2 — — —
1940 62.9 60.8 65.2 64.2 62.1 66.6 — — —
1935 61.7 59.9 63.9 62.9 61.0 65.0 53.1 51.1 55.2
1930 59.7 58.1 61.6 61.4 59.7 63.5 48.1 47.3 49.2


Read more: Life Expectancy at Birth by Race and Sex, 1930–2010 | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005148.html#ixzz2QNuIdePe

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005148.html

[dsc]

16. the relevant stat is life expectancy at 65

not at birth. Much of the increase has been due to reductions in infant mortality and childbirth mortality. The increase for those who reach 65 has been pretty small.

[cthulu2016]

15. That is not true. It USED to be true.

Check out the link in the OP.

[duffyduff]

4. Why would I care if I am dead? n/t

[cthulu2016]

6. Dead people cannot marry, so the question is not very relevant

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. On the other hand, your newly minted spouse

might also get stuck with all the medical bills and other liabilities after you go.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

12. I would like to see laws against this, although I'm not sure how to formulate them.

I think that inheritance tax is the best and fairest form of taxation; I'd like to see as much as possible of the nation's tax burden shifted from earned to inherited wealth.

Because of that, I think that any attempt to get round inheritance tax is a serious problem, and ideally would be legislated against in some way.

It's not obvious to me how to formulate such laws without doing more harm than good, though.

[eShirl]

13. reminds me of elderly Civil War veterans who married young women

[MattBaggins]

14. You pointed out that this would collapse the system

is that what you want?