Another side of immigration and social security..

Our caregiver told me this AM that her plan is to retire back to her native Ethiopia. She can live like a queen for about $500/month.

I was thinking about the phenomenon of immigrants who come to the US, not permanently, but with the eye towards financing a better life in their home countries.

Then, it dawned on me that the creators of the Social Security system probably never envisioned a situation where the money doled out by Social Security wouldn't be reinvested in the US economy.

But in a globalized immigrant scenario, that is highly likely.

So, the US gov't probably has to borrow more to pay off Social Security obligations and then that money stimulates the economy in Ethiopia.

It may not be a bad thing, necessarily, but an interesting one nonetheless (and when you combine it with many native-born Americans who are also retiring abroad even more so.)