From: "Robert G Lewis" 


"Mark"  wrote in message
news:41c85af6{at}w3.nls.net...
>
> "Robert G Lewis"  wrote in:
Consider it to be part
> of the pay , not a benefit. Would you allow an employer to tell you where
> you can spend you money ?
>
> That's not really apples and apples. If the employer said they'd give me a
> 1% match in cash, or a 2% match in company stock, I'd take the stock and
> convert it (perhaps not all of it) at the earliest plan opportunity.

Sure it is, Both are parts of my compensation for working for them
. For someone starting out in the 401 I remember there were
restrictions on moving from the company stock.

> Inexplicably enough though, you find disfavor with allowing the company to
> tell you where to spend your money, or their choice of what to fund your
> 401(k) matching funds with, yet are against yourself having that option
> with social security, and against that in the face of the certainty that
> you'd do better yourself even if you stayed strictly in CDs.
>
> This is why I'm not eager to get into this discussion to any great degree.
> I find, unlike the presidential election where I can easily concede and
> accept that the opposition candidate does have some characteristics that
> could appeal to others over my own, I find it incomprehensible to oppose
> ownership over the current SS system. Yes, the status quo is appealing to
> the Dems (and probably some misguided Reps as well) because it's their
> private piggy bank, but why it would appeal to an average everyday citizen
> just escapes me totally.
>

Right now I'm not sure where I stand on the elimination of Social Security
( and yes that is what I consider their long range plan). After we start
seeing some real details I may form a valid opinion . I do not
consider SS to be an investment any more than I consider my Federal Income
Taxes to be an investment. That may be one difference in the SS debate.
Also the everyday average citizen may not want to spend the time ( or have
the time to spend) learning about the markets much less following them when
they could be doing what is to them more productive time , like Barktopus 
.

Bob Lewis

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