A few interesting charts and observations in this edition of Monday Meanderings.
North Korea Missile Tests
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| Source: https://twitter.com/Beorn2000/status/1438174160862081027/photo/1 |
I wonder what was going on in 2017-2020?
What changed in 2021?
Does anyone have a guess?
Fastest Growing Jobs in the Next Decade
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| Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-20-fastest-growing-jobs-in-the-next-decade/ |
It looks like the future is about taking care of someone else.
Where does the money come from to do that in the first place?
Fastest Declining Jobs in the Next Decade
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| Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-20-fastest-growing-jobs-in-the-next-decade/ |
Taking on student loan debt to go to secretarial school is probably not a good idea.
Social Security Insecurity
Where is the money going to come from to pay for all those health and senior care jobs in the next decade?
The latest Social Security Trust Fund report was recently released.
Social Security benefits are already outstripping the current taxes collected from younger workers.
That trend will accelerate over the next decade.
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| Source: https://realinvestmentadvice.com/macroview-the-insecurity-of-social-security/ |
Social Security benefits above current taxes (dedicated revenues above) are being paid currently by drawing down the Social Security Trust fund which is an accounting fiction. The federal government is using general revenues to cover what is owed to the Social Security Trust Fund which it "borrowed" over the years.
That "Trust Fund" will be depleted between now and 2033 according to the most recent projections (2034 if the Disability Insurance Fund is also considered).
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| Source: https://realinvestmentadvice.com/macroview-the-insecurity-of-social-security/ |
What has to happen to put Social Security in position to survive for the next generation?
An immediate 27% increase in the Social Security tax.
If we wait until 2034 we will need a 34% increase.
OR
An immediate 21% cut in all Social Security benefits for everyone.
If we wait until 2034 it will need to be a 26% cut.
OR
A 25% cut for all future beneficiaries starting now.
That would seem impossible by itself. Combined with other solutions it might have to be done in some form or amount.
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| Source: https://realinvestmentadvice.com/macroview-the-insecurity-of-social-security/ |
We will probably need a combination of all three strategies used when our politicians finally face the economic realities. This should already be on the agenda as the ultimate costs just get more expensive by the day
The way things work in Washington the "solution" will probably get done the day before the first benefit checks that are scheduled to go out in 2034.
Housing Affordability
Between Social Security taxes and housing costs will the average American family have any money left over to live on in the future?
Shipping Container Costs
The costs to rent shipping containers to ship goods from Shanghai to Los Angeles are not coming down.
I wrote about the staggering price increases in these containers in this blog post at the end of June. Three months ago the Shanghai-LA price was around $8,500. It is now $12,500.
At one time you could buy used containers and construct a cost effective house from them.
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| Source: https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/january/shipping-container-house/#image-8 |
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| Source: https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2015/january/shipping-container-house/#image-8 |
That alternative is probably no longer viable.
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