Warning to pensioners

Casey Jones said:

Exactly. They HAVE been and ARE being cut.

Real-world inflation has added up to over 60-percent price/COLA increases since 2020. EVERYTHING essential most of which government liars don't COUNT, with their rigged stats. Rent, doubled. Food, nearly doubled. Auto fuel, up 40 percent. Auto insurance, doubled.

Clothing, doubled. Electrical, increased 30 percent.

Pension income, up about 10 percent, using the Commerce Department's jiggered stats for RRR increases.

Here in my 55-plus apartment house, I see residents selling their cars to pay for expenses. They're on antiSocial inSecurity, and really hurting.

And nobody's heating up the tar. Come Election Day, it's...."Where's the D. Vote DEMOCRAT, they're FOR THE PEOPLE. You're not one of those Trump freaks, ARE YOU!"

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Anyone still voting for democrats simply isn't paying attention.

Kitco News 29 mins long. Nothing to see. Can listen in one tab, play around the forum in a different tab.

Trillion-Dollar Time Bomb: Whistleblower Exposes America’s Pension Crisis | Edward Siedle​

May 3, 2025 #Pensions #TedSiedle #KitcoNews
A record-setting SEC whistleblower says the next financial crisis won’t come from banks or stocks – it’s already buried inside America’s public pension system.

Ted Siedle, former SEC attorney and co-author of Who Stole My Pension with Robert Kiyosaki, joins Kitco News Anchor Jeremy Szafron to expose what he calls the “most ignored financial crisis in America.” Siedle reveals how rising rates, private equity lockups, and political influence are putting taxpayer dollars and retirement savings at risk and why many pensions are already beyond repair.
He also explains why crypto and alternative assets could implode at the next liquidity shock, warns about looming bailouts, and shares his views on gold, transparency reform, and how the crisis could spark political and social unrest.

Trillion-Dollar Time Bomb: Whistleblower Exposes​

Hate on the messenger.

And...their assertion is not proof.

The damage done, was the problem that DOGE was there TO SOLVE.

Social Security income tax cuts may include a huge new deduction for retirees​

The House Ways and Means tax bill is out, and older Americans hoping for a tax break on their Social Security benefits received a different kind of relief than expected.

The tax proposal aims to provide tax relief for seniors age 65 and older by increasing their standard deduction by an additional $4,000.

The increased standard deduction for seniors would be in effect through 2028 and subject to income limits, according to Robert Westly, regional wealth advisor at Northern Trust.

The new tax break is welcome news for the over 66 million Americans who collect Social Security income, including about six million baby boomers who signed up to receive benefits in 2024.

Social Security income is only designed to replace about 40% of a person's pre-retirement income, and many Americans count on it exclusively to support themselves in retirement. That's a problem because the average Social Security payment to retired workers is less than $2,000 monthly, yet average retirees' monthly expenses total $4,345, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/ret...S&cvid=7fad0a3fd8cf4003a399c868790269c2&ei=28

Coming back full circle to the original subject of the thread...

The nation's largest public pension fund faces a probe launched by concerned retirees​

In recent years, the handling of the nation’s largest public pension fund has caused growing alarm among a group of retirees who rely on it.

They have sought an outside audit of California’s $530 billion pension fund, known as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS. They have also tried to persuade legislators to install an inspector general to monitor its operations.

Both efforts went nowhere. Now, they’ve decided to take matters into their own hands.

The retired public employees are taking the unusual step of hiring a forensic pension investigator to provide clarity on the fund’s investments, the high fees it is paying to big Wall Street firms and its lagging performance.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...ncerned-retirees/ar-AA1HGdUe?ocid=socialshare

Wot a surprise....NOT.

Trust California government to manage pie-in-da-sky pensions, and then be "surprised" and "baffled" at the entirely-predictable result.

Trump expected to sign order on private assets in 401(k)s - report​

President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday that would allow private equity, cryptocurrency, and other alternative assets in 401((k))s, according to a media report.

The order will direct the Department of Labor to re-evaluate guidance regarding alternative asset investments in retirement plans that are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the plans. The department will also be told to clarify the government's stance on the fiduciary responsibilities that come with offering asset allocation funds that include alternative investments.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/sav...n-401-k-s-report/ar-AA1K5oUw?ocid=socialshare

Opinion piece with a harsh critique of certain plans and crypto. Take it fwiw and dyodd. Posting because I enjoyed reading it.

searcher said:

Opinion piece with a harsh critique of certain plans and crypto. Take it fwiw and dyodd. Posting because I enjoyed reading it.

Gambling with the Proletariat’s Future: How Capital Turns Pensions into a Predators’ Casino

Trump’s Crypto-401(k) Push Is Late-Stage Capitalism’s Latest Assault on Worker Security—And Why Revolution Is the Only Answer

futuredude.substack.com

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That's been the problem since ZIRP became A Thing. Not just for pension-funds; for individuals, just trying to save.

The typical conservative way to save, was through a bank. Put the money in a bank, looking for a sound, reasonably-safe, higher-yield way to invest - blue-chip stocks, T-bills, whatever. Pensions, meantime, invested in commercial properties, or in various corporate bonds - where a prudent investor would agree the risk was low.

ZIRP changed all that. Money in bank accounts, now, SHRINKS. Real estate now becomes a wild gamble - Globalist Offshoring is destroying industries and job opportunities, so retail activity shrinks. Eventually you see commercial-leasing retraction - like that Minneapolis office tower that was seized by its lender, now appraised at two percent of what it sold for 12 or so years ago.

There are no safe yields anymore; so pensions, which MUST generate return, have to go into speculative Bubble Stawx. Blue chips now have a P/E of 100 (7, I'm told, is historically a reasonable return; get your purchase price back in dividends in seven years). So they have to buy into the bubble, or else lose their jobs and maybe their government trading credentials. This, of course, because this Free Fed money for the member banks, gets plowed into index stonx - robotically, driving up the indices; enabling a sale in the near future for MOAR. lather, froth, repeat. The FRN laundry.

And we're gonna go back to ZIRP. Watch - eventually Powell will weary of the fighting and just give Trump what he thinks he wants.

^^^If Powell folds, there goes the dollar completely, it will fail so fast...^^^
When the Fed raises rates either/and several sectors should fall, Stocks all time high, precious metals way up there, and real estate still sky high...Powell must raise rates.

Casey Jones said:

And we're gonna go back to ZIRP. Watch - eventually Powell will weary of the fighting and just give Trump what he thinks he wants.

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Could be wrong but I believe it will drop in Sept. How low..........we'll have to wait and see.

Casey Jones said:

The typical conservative way to save, was through a bank.

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Still is. I've been looking around locally and there's a few places with CD's over 4.00 %. May not seem like a lot to some, but if you can put in a good bit-o-bucks into one for 2 or 3 years you get a nice rate of return no matter how low rates go. You can also ladder CD's over a time frame so you will have access to your bucks when you may need them.

Fatrat said:

.Powell must raise rates.

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I'd love to see that!!!!! Make me extremely happy!!!!

searcher said:

Trump expected to sign order on private assets in 401(k)s - report​

President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday that would allow private equity, cryptocurrency, and other alternative assets in 401((k))s, according to a media report.

The order will direct the Department of Labor to re-evaluate guidance regarding alternative asset investments in retirement plans that are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the plans. The department will also be told to clarify the government's stance on the fiduciary responsibilities that come with offering asset allocation funds that include alternative investments.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/sav...n-401-k-s-report/ar-AA1K5oUw?ocid=socialshare

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More. Podcast, nothing to see. You know how to do it.

Your 401(k) Is Billionaires’ Next Bailout Scheme | Lever Time​

The Trump administration appears ready to sign an executive order that would allow private equity firms to prey on Americans’ retirement savings. What happens if Wall Street can suddenly tap into the trillions of dollars tucked away in 401(k) accounts?

Today on Lever Time, David Sirota speaks with former federal regulator Ted Siedle and economist Eileen Appelbaum to understand what private equity could do to Americans’ hard-earned retirement funds — and how you can protect your money.

fwiw - dyodd