If Social Security disappeared tomorrow, many Americans would need to rethink retirement spending, savings withdrawals, and even the age they stop working. The size of the disruption would depend on one number that deserves more attention than most retirement calculators give it: how much of the household budget depends on monthly benefits.
The scenario is hypothetical. Social Security has not disappeared, and current law does not call for benefits to vanish overnight. Still, testing a retirement plan without those payments can expose weak spots long before they become real problems. It can also reveal that some households have more flexibility than they assumed.
