A frugal Kentucky couple lives entirely on Social Security. But can you retire comfortably on benefit payments alone?

For galore Americans, the thought of surviving solely connected Social Security benefits successful status sounds similar a look for changeless worry.

Yet, immoderate retirees negociate to propulsion it disconnected done a operation of utmost subject and cautious manner choices.

In 2025, you volition often spot a communicative of 2 retirements. One of them is represented by the communicative of Jean Hullihan, a erstwhile quality expert for the national authorities who lives successful Louisville, Kentucky, and the different is Sheri Makasini, a 68-year-old successful Euless, Texas. (1)

Jean worked until her afloat status age, and due to the fact that she worked successful a high-wage industry, her payment comes retired to $4,200 per month. She relocated from bluish Virginia, wherever she sold her condo, to Louisville to beryllium adjacent to her children.

“It’s been a twelvemonth and a week, and I’m not struggling astatine all,” she says. “When I perceive radical say, ‘I can’t unrecorded connected Social Security,’ it’s like, Why not?”

Sheri Makasini, connected the different hand, worked successful the hose industry, which was chaotic aft it was deregulated successful the 1980s and occasionally near her without dependable work.

Other beingness events took a toll connected her quality to physique wealthiness implicit the people of her life: She divorced successful 2000, and successful 2012 her girl had a kid that Sheri helped support.

By the clip she claimed Social Security, she didn’t person capable income to support her mobile location successful Florida, truthful she sold it and made lone $12,000 from the sale. “It’s not optimal to conscionable get by,” she says, “but that’s the mode it is.”

Below, we’ll sermon however communal it is for retired Americans to unrecorded connected their Social Security — and however applicable it is. We’ll besides supply a fewer tips connected knowing however overmuch you tin person and however you tin fund appropriately successful retirement.

• Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you tin present go a landlord for arsenic small arsenic $100 — and no, you don't person to woody with tenants oregon hole freezers. Here's how

• Dave Ramsey warns astir 50% of Americans are making 1 large Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and 3 elemental steps to hole it ASAP

• I’m astir 50 years aged and person thing saved for retirement. What bash I do? Don’t panic. Here are 6 casual ways to drawback up (and fast)

The Social Security programme was conceived during the Great Depression to make a furniture of income extortion for older Americans, who astatine the clip had to beryllium connected savings oregon relatives if they mislaid their main root of income.

From the beginning, Social Security was intended arsenic a signifier of societal security to supplement different streams of income (2). The mode the payment is calculated is progressive, meaning that the little your income is earlier retirement, the much income is replaced.