BuffettNews.com

Good morning BN. I heard JB's cover yesterday and PHriends were on the Landshark cruise. We aren't cruise people, but I like the idea.

Good morning Bill.

I'm off to DMV to renew my driver's license then to the brewery for lunch. I could have gone earlier, the brewery is also a coffeehouse and opens at 8:00am, but I didn't feel like having coffee.

That was painless, in and out in less than 10 minutes. And that included an eye test and getting a new picture taken for the new license. Now I'm having a cold beverage while I wait for my chicken salad sandwich.

Good morning Bill and Larry!!

Glad that went well, Larry. I have to do that next year, I think.

Weather has gotten a lot colder, dark clouds, and windy. Only 43, instead of 73..

I still have a load to take to the dumpster, but I'll probably only do one, based on weather.

Have a call with Social Security to see if there are any changes, based on E's passing.

Have a good Tuesday!!

Good afternoon folks. I have had a really tough time walking or even standing the last week or so.
I finally got in to see my foot and ankle specialist yesterday.
I walked in (with a cane!) and the receptionist said "Hi.".
I said, "I wish I was'".
The office personnel laughed.
The doctor told me I had tendonitis and gave me a shot of cortisone right into the side of my foot.
It hurt like hell but I'm walking a lot better now.

Glad that the shot helped you, John!

Good afternoon, everyone!

Would love to go on a Sea Cruise I've been writing a little story based in Tahiti (actually, one of the neighboring islands), so I've been looking up a lot of pictures from a resort there. Makes me want to live someplace warm...

Have an AMAZING evening, BN!

E and I went on 3 cruises, and loved all 3 of them, with the last one out of Galveston was the best.

Just finished talking to Social Security, and I'll get a whopping one time payment of $255 for his death benefit... but an extra $316 per month to get me closer to what HE was making...

And we finally got a little bit of rain, with some more rain/snow later on this afternoon/evening.

I got 2 more loads to the dumpster, one before the rain, one before the next round.

After spending every summer during high school and college on fishing boats in Alaska, I've never been interested in going on a cruise ship.
But now that we're older (and have several friends that have done it), we're thinking about one of those Viking European river cruises up the Rhine, or Rhone, or Seine. We'll see...




I had an eye exam yesterday too, but mine was a six month follow-up that included dilation and lots of scans and imaging to monitor the retinal bleeding that I've had for the last few years. Not much change, hasn't gotten worse, but still there; come back in six months. I guess that's good news, it used to be every three months. My cataracts haven't changed much, it's up to me when I wanna get them taken care of. If they ain't bothering me, they ain't bothering my opthamologist.

MsMod, I got that same $255 benefit when my mom died in 1973 and when my dad died in 1990; it didn't pay for much back then and I'm not sure what they expect you to do with it in today's economics....

SeattleParrotHead wrote: March 3, 2026 4:56 pm If they ain't bothering me, they ain't bothering my opthamologist.

MsMod, I got that same $255 benefit when my mom died in 1973 and when my dad died in 1990; it didn't pay for much back then and I'm not sure what they expect you to do with it in today's economics....

Glad the eye news was more positive than negative. And yeah, $255 doesn't make a dent in what his cremation cost.

We will never go on a sea cruise. Anne has a phobia about not being able to see land.

Penny, I'm sorry the money was so little. I took a smaller retirement so that Anne would receive half of the amount on my passing. With our savings, she could live like a red hat lady, but she doesn't wear hats.

Mel, I have a cataract that can't be removed. I had one done 25 years ago, but it stressed my eye because of retinopathy, I am legally blind in that eye now.

When both spouses are drawing Social Security benefits and one dies, the surviving spouse will get whichever benefit is greater.
"John and Jane have been married for 30 years. John receives $2,500 per month from Social Security, while Jane receives $2,000 per month. If Jane dies, John need not apply for survivors benefits because he already receives the larger payout. But if John dies, Jane should apply for survivors benefits. She will receive $2,500 per month (in lieu of $2,000 per month)."

Social Security death benefit why hasn't it changed
The Social Security death benefit has remained unchanged since 1954 due to a combination of historical decisions and the lack of significant adjustments to keep pace with rising funeral costs. The benefit was originally set at 3.5% of the deceased worker’s covered earnings, which were earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax. By 1954, the amount had been capped at $255, with some recipients receiving a smaller benefit based on Social Security’s calculation methods. In 1974, the lowest possible payment using these methods reached $255, meaning the minimum became the maximum, and now all qualifying survivors receive that amount. The lump-sum payment is now considered a "burial benefit," but it is not enough to help families with funeral costs, which have increased significantly over the years. The proposed increase to $2,900 is expected to result in more recipients applying for the payment, with an estimated 90% of eligible cases receiving the benefit from 2025 onward. The increase in the death benefit is expected to result in an overall cost increase for the OASDI program by approximately $39.8 billion from 2024 to 2033.

Thank you, Mr. SPH... I figured the reason for the increase in my SS payment, but that death benefit is a joke to have stayed the same $ amount for all these many years. E's cremation was about 10% of that amount.

Evening BN!

Love JB's cover of Sea Cruise... but hate the idea of ever going on one! Morris's Nightmare - redux is all I can think of!

Penny - Yeah, that "death benefit" is pitiful! Assuming my Mom even got one, it would not have even covered the bar tab at the luncheon we had for my Dad. And I never even thought of applying for my Mom's on her passing... I suppose it could have been added to her estate, meaning my brother and I would each have received a whopping $127.50
As to your increase, you should be now equal (not almost) what E would have IF he was taking his... but since he was still working, I'm not sure what they base your increase on.

John = I have heard 2 things about cortizone shots... 1- they hurt like crazy... and 2- they are well worth it for the relief!

Larry - I've got another 3 years on my current license. Luckily, I can renew at the AAA office here in town when it's time! So there is no need to endure our notoriously painful-to-visit RMV!

Jerry - your writing sounds intriguing! Is it available anywhere online to read it?

Caribbean Soul wrote: March 3, 2026 7:31 pm As to your increase, you should be now equal (not almost) what E would have IF he was taking his... but since he was still working, I'm not sure what they base your increase on.

It's based on that he had 'retired' at age 63. I could delay MY increase until October, but it would have only been another $70, so not worth the wait.

And we finally have some "Sybil" weather back again. It's good, but hope April behaves itself for E's services, and my move.