Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

ThatTinyGameCubeDisc t1_j3q7kes wrote

I find this depressing on many levels

767

ubeogesh t1_j3qo57f wrote

depressing that 82 yo has to work (if he worked because he liked it - he probably wouldn't retire)

219

EyeShartedDripDrip t1_j3rbgbg wrote

And working that job may be helping him stay alive so far. I sure hope he finds something to do to stay active.

33

barsoapguy t1_j3tss7g wrote

They probably wouldn’t have given him 100K if he kept working lol

29

XxBatman357xX t1_j3qzz6s wrote

To be fair, we don’t know the full story behind why he couldn’t retire early. Was it due to unforeseen emergency spending? Or just lack of saving for retirement?

−26

Cheetahs_never_win t1_j3r2fhb wrote

Personally, I plan to work through retirement simply because studies show you live longer and better when you challenge your body and mind.

Now, as a Walmart greeter? Not so much. But maybe if it's in location with people who are nice to old people.

26

Prunestand t1_j3si3f6 wrote

> Was it due to unforeseen emergency spending? Or just lack of saving for retirement?

Ah yes, it is the victim's fault.

18

SizzlerWA t1_j3uu9k4 wrote

I’m also against victim blaming but how do you know the 82 year old is a victim? Or are you responding to this commenter’s lack of curiosity about other potential causes besides the two they gave?

−5

LazyMe420 t1_j3uwwbr wrote

He's an elderly man being forced to work to make ends meat in a first world country in the supposed civilized world.
I know it might be hard for some Americans or American-minded people to comprehend this, but the true value of a society is displayed by how it treats it's weakest members.
He's not only a victim of a cruel society, but also an exemplary sign of it's sickness and self-destructiveness.

7

SizzlerWA t1_j3ux9wi wrote

Ok, you didn’t really answer my question IMHO but it’s not worth debating. I hope he enjoys some happiness and travels now.

−3

LazyMe420 t1_j3uyzkm wrote

I did in fact answer your question, you may just be unable to comprehend the implications of an old man being forced to work because of that very same self-destructive mindset.

In civilized society the situation makes him a victim by default.

5

M4DM1ND t1_j3ska3r wrote

Yeah this is great for this guy but there are hundreds if not thousands in the same position. I worked Walmart management after college for two years and we had two associates in their 80s and a few in their 70s. I know at least one of them was just bored in retirement and worked a couple days a week but the others just couldn't retire. A sad reality of the society we've created.

63

PeeB4uGoToBed t1_j3tdr34 wrote

My previous job third shift stocking at a grocery store we had a guy in his mid to late 70s who was retired from a trucking company AND the airforce but still chose to work. He was bored and we think he hated his wife and didn't want to be at home

16

focus503 t1_j3umf05 wrote

We're a nation of 300 million. There are many thousands of these and soon to be tens of millions after the GOP ends social security for those under 55.

5

spelingexpurt t1_j3stg2a wrote

Feel good stories that actually hide what a dystopian we live in

21

kreukle t1_j3qmpf6 wrote

>All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban.

"All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban."

7

nitrohigito t1_j3qnunn wrote

I think they could use a single quotes version as well, I'm not confident you got through.

12

Erazerhead-5407 t1_j3q5tuf wrote

We should be ashamed as a nation when our senior citizens are forced to continue working to make ends meet. European, Scandinavian countries, and others with less wealth make sure that adequate funds are available for their seniors to live a comfortable retirement that they earned. Not to mention that they put more money aside for education, for children’s welfare, daycare, healthcare, etc, before they invest on military equipment and the likes. We should take a page from them and put it into practice.

202

xybet t1_j3qf7qb wrote

Well.. I live in Finland, probably one of the most advanced countries in this regard looking at the support from our government.... But the money for any of those doesn't just appear, we pay for everything about it in taxes and other deductibles.

The pension system here is also incredibly badly built structure, which doesnt support rising population. I probably won't be receiving the pension I pay for, and also the age to be eligible for it has gone up in leaps. (My parents are eligible at 62-65, currently mine says I'll be eligible at 67-69, with the age going up every year, and being even higher for younger population)

Granted, none of our senior citizens, or most citizens in general are forced to work to make ends meet, but most people who have had full career in below-average salaries don't live comfortably either.

42

nonamefounder t1_j3qh43j wrote

Still better than in the US. Which means the US has a lot of improvements to do and Finland some aswell.

21

xybet t1_j3qhiy6 wrote

Well... Personally I'd make better saving and investing the deducted amount, but I do like the safety net as well in case something goes wrong.. It just allows a lot of unemployment and abuse, and is not sustainable with growing population. Which means I'm probably paying for pension that I'll never receive, whereas investing it, it would stay mine..

Thought it's easy to pick the easy and good things, there are a lot of things in the US that are better as well :-) Grass is greener where it's watered and taken care of.. good and bad things both ways.

9

AdministrativeWar594 t1_j3qkbdn wrote

Saving and investing as your retirement is how the 401ks and Roth iras work here. Although you can have some limited control over it, most are hands off and through your job usually. There is a problem with that though. Whereas social security or a pension was usually guaranteed. If the economy takes a nosedive, so does your 401k because its value is attached directly to the market. My aunts 401k took a nosedive in 08 and took over a decade to recover. So you could be chugging along just fine and then when the economy goes into the shitter (which is a design in capitalism the boom/bust cycle) all your retirement goes out the window. Real estate seems to be safe because assets can be sold if you find yourself in a position to not be able to rent them out. But in general I think we need a better system than social security because it's not nearly enough.

11

xybet t1_j3qlgso wrote

Yeah.. I invest some money monthly as well to diversified funds, so I guess that could be comparable to 401k, but investment is.. voluntary investment... it's not forced tax deductible.

Pension as set up here would be if you paid x% more taxes in to a shared saving account run by government, with government stating when and how much you can have it, and paying off other peoples benefits as well from it..

Current age diversifying is punishing for younger people, as so many old people reclaim pension but younger peoples solvency is not high enough, which means the young folks will be working more and longer to be eligible for the same pension earlier generations had with less work.. so in that sense, personal investment based pension would at least be "fair to all", allthough leaving people who didn't invest hanging for dry..

Real estate is a bitch here atm for investing 😅

3

Inaksa t1_j3u6chi wrote

I understand what you are saying. In Argentina (and many countries) there were this private administered funds (specially during the 90s) and pensions were forced into them. Eventually what those entities did was gamble the funds buying high risk bonds, and you can picture how that went.

I dont trust my government, but even less an unaccountable private entity to guard those funds. You may say that couldnt happen in your country but when it does you end up with the government having to foot the bill in order for citizens to be able to survive. It sucks but those are the rules of the game apparently

2

CharuRiiri t1_j3uo8tw wrote

Yeah, it sounds great on paper but ultimately the fund won’t lose money, it’s peoples pensions that will take a hit. Happened in Chile too, they advertised a lot for people to switch from the old system and join the new one, promising substantial pension rises and when the first people started getting their pensions they amounted to less than half the minimum wage.

2

SizzlerWA t1_j3uux5e wrote

You can invest your 401k in US Treasuries, which is what I believe Social Security invests in. So you could engineer your 401k to have the same investment risk as Social Security (much less risky than stocks).

You can also buy CDs and other risk free investments.

Im sorry that your aunt’s 401k took a nosedive. But investing in a 401k can be as low risk as you want it to be …

−1

Prunestand t1_j3t38pk wrote

> Well... Personally I'd make better saving and investing the deducted amount, but I do like the safety net as well in case something goes wrong.. It just allows a lot of unemployment and abuse, and is not sustainable with growing population. Which means I'm probably paying for pension that I'll never receive, whereas investing it, it would stay mine..

I'd say it is even worse without a safety net. You literally have to work if your savings is somehow wiped out.

2

xybet t1_j3uuw12 wrote

Yeah.. And even a normal savings account that hardly caters for inflation will be better than forced safety net that is negative and abused.

0

Prunestand t1_j3z20p7 wrote

> And even a normal savings account that hardly caters for inflation will be better than forced safety net that is negative and abused.

So great 80-year olds can't retire?

0

xybet t1_j3zyctk wrote

Why couldn't they?

What you're obviously not wanting to understand or take in to account is that you've PAID for the safety net yourself, it doesn't just exist for free. And the payments have gone with negative investment rate because the safety net is not built to account for population growth or abuse. Literally the same as investing with negative rate.

If you invest like a moron, you will lose your investment like a moron. If you invest stupid but enough to cover inflation, you're already better off than losing forcefully deducted negative capita. If you invest smart enough to gain profit on top of inflation, you're good enough to retire earlier than planned.

1

Prunestand t1_j3zzys2 wrote

>if you invest like a moron, you will lose your investment like a moron. If you invest stupid but enough to cover inflation, you're already better off than losing forcefully deducted negative capita.

If the stock market crashes due to an unforeseeable event and it causes all your savings to be wiped out, is that your fault?

1

xybet t1_j400de2 wrote

You think the money the government took to do the same thing is somehow immune to that? It's value will crash just the same. A dollar is a dollar.

1

Prunestand t1_j44z2it wrote

>You think the money the government took to do the same thing is somehow immune to that? It's value will crash just the same.

The money the government took will certainly have less risk, yes. You may be the unlucky one to choose a bad portfolio, but everyone shares the loss with the money the government took. It's essentially just spreading the risk among the whole economy.

You might lose your savings because your stocks crash, but it takes the whole market crashing to lose the money the government has invested. Governments may also have better leverage to protect assets from crashing than you individually have.

1

xybet t1_j451wts wrote

It's not like the government takes all taxes and piles them up to have leverage. Pension system is built like shit, and its handled as it's own thing, just like any company would handle it's own investment money separately, it's invested just the same and will crash the same.

The only leverage a government has against crashing money value, is if they have their own currency and availability to print more to regulate.

Like I said, I live in Finland, which probably has one of the best social safety net systems built and I've been trying to tell you it doesn't work that way, it's built in a way that will crash just the same, wont sustain growing population and abuse. I worked in KELA for 2 years, which literally is short for national pension institute. (KansanEläkeLAitos)

I'm just guessing since you don't have this system you have no idea how it works and have imagined up a working better system, but it's not like that in reality.

Best of luck with your pension though I'm done talking about this.

1

Joseluki t1_j3s8qy0 wrote

Sure, invest in a S&P, then one year of recession with a loss of a huge chunk of your retirement savings, then boom, your ass working at walmart with 70 years.

0

xybet t1_j3s9g80 wrote

Yeah I mean.. that's literally investing.. There aren't many things you can invest in that are guaranteed profit... its a risk you take when investing. You can also put that money in to your normal savings account which will maybe keep up with the inflation %.

0

Joseluki t1_j3sf9wl wrote

The joys of capitalism, gamble your money and risk losing, or work until you die.

FREEDOM

2

xybet t1_j3sj35m wrote

Or you can give it to your government for safekeeping, and receive 50% of what you've invested because most of it was used to pay other peoples pension and now the government cant afford yours.

Or just keep it at a normal bank account that caters inflation keeping your money somewhat 1:1.

Or invest and lose it all.

Or invest and ten-fold it all.

The difference is that in one of the countries the first choise is FORCED, and in one of the countries you can choose.

The joys of capitalism and freedom of choice.

1

Joseluki t1_j3sl1ru wrote

Yeah, is working so well in the USA with people working till they die.

3

xybet t1_j3smx5a wrote

Damn thats awful. You should totally move to Finland, no one has ever died or worked here!

2

Llanite t1_j3qmnjq wrote

You get $500-1500 a month in Finland fyi, which is borderline poverty. While we're at it, said income is paid for by 25% sales tax and 50% income tax.

2

nonamefounder t1_j3qsr8v wrote

I live in Germany and can't work right now, I get like 850 a month. I have to pay for everything with that. I know what borderline poverty is.

3

Llanite t1_j3qt18a wrote

Social sec in the US is $1600, 77% payout, eligiblity at 62 while holding 22% average income tax and 7% sales tax. It looks like Europe has lots of room to improve, not the other way around.

−5

nonamefounder t1_j3qu93v wrote

I only have to pay like 400 for my apartment with a garden. That includes water, gas and electricity. I can do whatever I want with the rest of the 450. I also don't have to worry about my insurance, since the state pays it for me. No taxes for me, except I buy something, but we don't really care about that, because it's already included in the price.

And since I only live with my small ass dog, I think I can handle it.

It looks more like you don't know the cost of living in Europe, compared to the US, which I do know. Get more information on it, before you embarrass yourself even more. I'll mute this conversation now, since I don't have the obligation to tell you everything, that you could learn through Google and using your brain.

2

Llanite t1_j3qv0p8 wrote

Nah, i dont need to google to know that those that eat from the gravy train enjoy every bit of it.

Enjoy your freebies while it lasts. Recession is coming.

−8

High_af1 t1_j3qe1u9 wrote

But we can’t because the only party that would do this also stands for colored people and half of the country is too damn racist to vote differently even when something like this benefits them much more.

8

barsoapguy t1_j3ttbzt wrote

The US is doing the best it can with it’s high levels of indebtedness.

1

dani6465 t1_j3ql1rc wrote

>We should be ashamed as a nation when our senior citizens are forced to continue working to make ends meet. European, Scandinavian countries, and others with less wealth make sure that adequate funds are available for their seniors to live a comfortable retirement that they earned.

That's such a lie. In Scandinavia, specifically Denmark, they push the retirement age further out to finance a huge deficit, and without savings, you will live poor on retirement benefits.

In 40 years the retirement pool will be even larger compared to the working class. it will only get worse from here. I cant even fathom working for 50 years without savings or real estate to live off dividends.

7

jaceapoc t1_j3u7796 wrote

It’s not just the US… Lots of really old people in European countries working under the table or part time jobs just to pay rent/eat food every day… there is pension from the gov, but it usually varies between 500-1300€ depending on the country or the previous career. But it doesn’t matter really, because that’s poverty money anyway.

I’m in Western Europe, at my previous workplace we had 3 old women and 1 old man who were 69, 76, 77 and 81 at the time working with us in the office. They couldn’t afford living with just their pension so they were working. 2 of them passed away during Covid. They worked their whole life for what? Europe is far, far from being the perfect place to live in as Reddit likes to say it is. It’s really not.

3

ElectrikDonuts t1_j3vgo19 wrote

Its boomers and their corporations stealing from boomers. Redfin just declared millennials the “room mate generation”. Millennials and younger are too busy paying for boomers tax cuts to fund their own retirement 50 years from now…

2

jensjoy t1_j3qjyr5 wrote

Please don't tell me you've so accustomed to this dystopic shitshow to find this uplifting.

150

jadedaslife t1_j3qt5i1 wrote

So we're supposed to be unhappy about this? How do you tolerate such a level of suffering? I can't.

Yes, we tear down the system. In the meantime, we find good by getting through and helping people who need it. Helping people who need it, after all, is and always will be the way.

−38

Padhome t1_j3qtysd wrote

Because the best thing you can do is work within that system to change things, they can only be fixed from the top down. The issue is, no matter how many people you get to donate, the issue is systematic and there are thousands and thousands more like him that will not get these, and they will die alone.

The more we spin stories like this as if they were a positive, the more toxic that positivity really becomes, because it's almost excusatory for the horror that brought it about in the first place.

30

jadedaslife t1_j3qvcts wrote

It's only excusatory if we let it be excusatory. Celebrate human generosity while telling the robber barons at the top to go fuck themselves, is the way.

−9

Padhome t1_j3qw12w wrote

Statistically though, most people use stories like these to feel like the world is doing just fine and they don't have to do anything about it. The headline should read something like "80-year-old man forced to work is saved only through the generosity of strangers, while thousands more like him go unnoticed"

17

jadedaslife t1_j3sw94m wrote

Meanwhile, today I have flipped out about how all money is funneled to the top, so I guess I have pulled a 180. I even wrote "what is sustainable? Working a job that pays half the bills plus a GoFundMe?"

−4

VaderBassify t1_j3uqn6g wrote

lol why is the guy with "jaded" in his name the only one here trying to look at things optimistically?

1

jadedaslife t1_j3y30wx wrote

I was even being realistic about it.

Of course, I am jaded also because Reddit hivemind exists.

EDIT: People would rather doomsay and use it as an excuse for inaction. I'm glad someone gets it.

1

Doghead_sunbro t1_j3qrp1b wrote

So many of these uplifting news stories I expect to be reading r/aboringdystopia posts instead

118

DarkGamer t1_j3q4lv5 wrote

That doesn't sound like enough to retire on.

53

Gnawlydog t1_j3qenxg wrote

I didn't read the article but I imagine like most 80 somethings he was just there to supplement his retirement working part time.. This is probably at minimum 7 year salary if he kept working walmart.

20

lovemeanstwothings t1_j3rebmh wrote

He also has his social security to supplement it as well. Plenty for him to retire with.

5

Hellige88 t1_j3q6ijo wrote

It would last me a few years easy. Even longer if I didn’t have to pay for gas and food at work.

12

The_Ginger_Man64 t1_j3qjbrz wrote

This is not uplifting News, it's a fucking travesty that he still had to work at 80.

FFS, I'm so tired of these "look at this issue brought about by systemic problems, but in this one case the symptoms were dealt with!! Yay, capitalism go!" Posts....

38

Vita-Malz t1_j3qwyq6 wrote

Imagine thinking that a 82 year old, who still has to work to not starve, relying on charity to finally retire is uplifting news.... The US truly is fucked up.

19

jensjoy t1_j3r667z wrote

But hey, look at this wholesome social media post. It can't be that bad! /s

Meanwhile people work until they die and the Chinese government uses that same platform to control the narrative and hide their genocide on Uyghurs.
Panem et circenses.

8

zeyore t1_j3ql8xs wrote

I checked social security lately and I was like, god I don't want to work till I'm 67.

So I can't imagine 82.

That's decades of time I could have wasted sitting on my front porch reading books.

13

LAESanford t1_j3qjslp wrote

This is America 💔

10

lonewolf143143 t1_j3qnooi wrote

This is uplifting that strangers took better care of one of our veterans than our government. No veteran should be working at 82. No veteran should ever be homeless.

10

Stunning_Ad_7062 t1_j3qr0ox wrote

Lord man… why do we not have any fucking mercy

8

MadeFromNews t1_j3qbyax wrote

I love this level of kindness, but wth, 82. I hope he was just bored why he was working there

5

Storytellerjack t1_j3qz34l wrote

This is dystopian af. Will I have to be older than 90 or 100 when I get crowdfunded into retirement?

5

afettz13 t1_j3t15dy wrote

Not uplifting really sad that people can't even enjoy a portion of their life while young and healthy, let alone retire to enjoy their remaining years...

5

Austoman t1_j3t2sjt wrote

So i see no one talking about it.... I know this is posted to uplifting news, but it really isn't. First theres the fact that people are working into their 80s just to survive. Secondly the value of money is way less than people expect.

$100000 isn't anywhere near retirement money. Even if we simply assume he has to pay $10k a year to shelter (rent, property tax, care home expenses, or w.e), he'd run out in less than 10 years due to inflation. Moreover, that's just sheltering expenses. Power, water, food, heat and etc, on average in the US is about 6850/year [1500+600+4000+750] as of 2021 (average costs of each in US). So with that, it's about 17000/year, which gives him less than 6 years before considering inflation, insurance, medical expenses, travel (gas, bus, shuttle) and etc. So yeah 100k funding isnt enough to retire on even at 82 years old. An average person in the US will be forced to spend that within 6 years without considering many normal expenses beyond those needed to survive.

5

GregorSamsanite t1_j3u5ii7 wrote

He should qualify for Social Security and definitely qualifies for Medicare, so $100k isn't meant to cover all of his expenses, but supplemental ones. Not saying that we couldn't do better (e.g. UBI in addition to social security), but any analysis of his budget needs to factor in his social security. He also mentions paying off his home, so it sounds like he may have some equity. Ideally he shouldn't have to, but at his age tapping into that equity is a real consideration.

1

Makeit_ t1_j3uom83 wrote

Holy shit I worked with this man in 2011ish to 2013

Coolest guy. Moved 1,800 miles away and didn't know anyone. One of the few that I remember and extremely happy to see this.

5

greatestmofo OP t1_j3ux0ki wrote

Wow that must feel so surreal seeing your colleague on a Reddit post. Really glad that he is doing better these days.

3

56Bot t1_j3qkph7 wrote

Redditors to TikTok rn : perhaps I treated you too harshly.

4

Sycosplat t1_j3qu6u3 wrote

lol no. Reddit's irrational raging hate boner for tiktok won't be deflated that easily.

2

ODSTsRule t1_j3ssaht wrote

Man fuck this. Im out. If one more "Orphan Crusher Machine" story from the US is sold as uplifting im gonna lose it so goodbye.

4

Naiko32 t1_j3u31bk wrote

this is more sad than anything

4

LevHerceg t1_j3s56de wrote

It's really sad someone is forced to work at 82 instead of enjoying pensioner years.

3

RyRyReezy2 t1_j3tyapu wrote

This genuine depresses me

3

yvngjiffy703 t1_j3v6idq wrote

This is anything but uplifting. He has to work in his 80s, and by chance he gets to retire. Literally 1984

3

ebonwulf60 t1_j3rik0n wrote

I just hope WalMart didn't ever ask him to go round up carts from the parking lot.

2

Yourbuttmyface t1_j3sb4kn wrote

Reddit trying its best to normalize relying on strangers to help instead of fixing the problem at the source

2

Caesthoffe t1_j3uzc2n wrote

this is just fucking depressing

2

AutoModerator t1_j3q1aqw wrote

Reminder: this subreddit is meant to be a place free of excessive cynicism, negativity and bitterness. Toxic attitudes are not welcome here.

All Negative comments will be removed and will possibly result in a ban.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

Bossbong t1_j3spn4j wrote

Didn't this happen back in like 2016?

1

Bojangleguy t1_j3txerp wrote

Imagine the sigh when he sat down when he got home

1

EventsConspire t1_j3tzwcn wrote

Wow. They must have been a terrible cashier if people were willing to pay that much to bribe them to quit.

1

Y34rZer0 t1_j3ul1jw wrote

I bet his family are already dividing up their future inheritance

1

Techutante t1_j3umzvk wrote

Then goes back to work after he pays 45% taxes on it.

1

clemjonze t1_j3v1quy wrote

And who gets the Walmart life insurance policy they took out on him?

1

VladJongUn t1_j3vx2rt wrote

100k at like 4% is 4 grand a year. That's an extra 200$ a month post-taxes. Hopefully he has a place to stay that doesnt charge rent and can get food stamps?

1

canastrophee t1_j3wg1rq wrote

We already crowdfund retirement, guys. It's called Social Security.

1

sorrybye90 t1_j3wthz4 wrote

Yeah not uplifting ... Very dark.

1