Enough cash (not cash equivalent) on hand to pay all bills for 6-12 months is not unreasonable. When the waste hits the proverbial rotating blades, one may not be able to sell (anything) in order to raise cash / buy food, etc. I personally recommend some long-term food storage.

Prices are already up. US consumer inflation increases at fastest pace in nearly 1-1/2 years in January…..
reuters.com

It’s an entitlement because we paid into it and are entitled to get it.

Exactly. The fear mongerers are still trying to create fear.

I think that's why we all feel we're ENTITLED to it. Some feel more entitled than others, especially those that have paid into it for 35 years LOL.

Nothing wrong with feeling entitled to things especially when we pay taxes. I think that's how (social) societies work.

SS is not an entitlement, far from it. What you paid in you will get part of it back, most of us will lose money (dying early) and if you would have taken all the money that you and your employers put in SS for 4 or 5 decades and allowed you to invest it with compounded interest, you are getting .10 on a dollar return from SS.

I cashed out 2 retirements plans that would have paid me a couple thousand a month after 65 and I invested that money and I’m making more than what those retirement plans would have paid me.

Do the math using compounding interest, you doing your own retirement using those SS dollars that you and your employer paid in over 40 - 45 years and then let me know if you will ever break even.

Truth!