Join John Rush as he delves into a comprehensive discussion with Dave Bancroft from Veteran Windows and Doors. They navigate the intricate world of home improvement, from the specific needs dictated by exposure and climate to the misleading sales tactics often employed in the industry. Discover why personalization and knowledgeable purchases are crucial when it comes to your home, and the real differences between a genuine home improvement service and a basic sales pitch.
SPEAKER 03 :
This is Rush to Reason.
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With your host, John Rush.
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Get a job, sir. You haven’t made everybody equal. You’ve made them the same and there’s a big difference.
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Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?
SPEAKER 15 :
It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush. Presented by Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning.
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All right. Happy Monday, everybody. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Appreciate you being with us today, by the way. Dave Bancroft from Veteran Windows and Doors starting the day off for us today. Dave, how are you, sir? I am well, sir. Yourself? Always a joy. to have you and it is that time of the year where we’re starting to transition from you know winter you know first day of spring was last week uh of course as we all know three months go by then it’s summer and then pretty soon it’s fall and that cycle just continues on and we do have four seasons here in colorado and i say that to say that when it comes to windows and doors because we have four seasons you need to have the right stuff Absolutely.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, they’re just as vital in the cold months as they are in the warm. I mean, the whole point of an efficient envelope is to protect the home mechanics.
SPEAKER 16 :
Well, and some people think that it’s only important to have that when it’s cold out. Well, the same could be said when it’s hot out also. And the way the sun, you know, those of you that live in Colorado know this, our sun… will change position in the sky because as we rotate around, you know, that’s where we get our seasons and so on. I’m not going to get into all the depths of that, but the sun literally goes from the south end of the horizon to the north end of the horizon, middle of summer, and then it starts to go back. And because of that, Dave, your home will have different areas where that heat, that sun, sunlight, is heading it at different times of the year. And all that has to be considered, right? Absolutely.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, we look at all of that. What is the exposure and what is the best benefit to the customer? So if they south facing, if you have a natural UV inhibitor, that’s that’s good for that heat gain. But north facing windows, you don’t necessarily need that.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, because unless it’s middle of summer and even then, it’s only, I don’t know, six, eight weeks maybe out of the year that you’ve even got any kind of direct sunlight that might even come through those. And even that’s short term, even during the day itself.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, that’s it. That’s the reason we look at it and we kind of do it really prescriptive based on…
SPEAKER 16 :
For those of you listening, this is where I feel, and I don’t think I’m wrong in stating this, Dave, this is where I feel there’s a big separation between what you’re doing and being selective with that home and where it faces, what windows are doing what and so on, what doors are doing what and so on. You’re looking at that much different than a one-size-fits-all company that comes in and just says, yep, here’s your price on windows, here’s your price on doors. And I know this because… Dave knows this as well. Before meeting Dave, I’ve had some folks through my own home doing some of that dog and pony show that is out there. And I know some of that firsthand because I’ve been through it. And the reality is, no, they don’t do the things that Dave is talking about because I’ve experienced that, Dave.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, no, that’s actually my frustration with this industry is that they’re very good at selling, and you’re dealing with a sales rep, and you have to be cognizant of that.
SPEAKER 16 :
And they open up the little kit, and they’ve got little samples, and they’ve got the UV thing, and they’re really at the counter trying to sell you as much as they can. Very few of them, yeah, they’ll go around and they’ll take some measurements and do some things along those lines, but very few of them are going through the descriptive part of it that you just mentioned a moment ago.
SPEAKER 14 :
No, I actually prefer to be third or fourth in line when I’ve met with someone because they’ve been shocked by what they’re trying to charge, but then they realize they never knew what the values were of any of those products.
SPEAKER 16 :
Values, whether I even needed that window in that particular location and the window that I was quoted, is that even the right type of window that I need for said location? When it comes to the door, you could say the exact same thing. Yeah. Been there, done that, Dave. And until meeting you, and I’ve learned a lot from you that I can now use on down the road when it comes to some of those things. But before meeting you, in defense of everybody listening, and I wasn’t much different, you don’t know all these things. I mean, how can anybody know all of that?
SPEAKER 14 :
No, you don’t, and that’s kind of what they’re banking on. Their effort is to sell it. I met with a customer last week, and I tell everyone, get bids. It’s an investment no matter who you go with, and you want to make sure you’re doing the right investment. But they were meeting with the big-name company that’s out there right after, and I said, I’m going to save you about three hours of life. When he pulls out the heat lamp, just say, all I need to know is what’s my U-factor, my solar heat gain. That’s what matters. It doesn’t matter whose name is on it. It really is, like you said, a dog-and-pony show, and that’s not what it’s about.
SPEAKER 16 :
It is. Talk to me about, because I know there’s different companies out there that will even advertise, all of our windows are made here. Is there any advantage to that or is that just another sales gimmick?
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s another gimmick, in all honesty. I mean, it doesn’t matter where the window is made as long as you’re engineering it for where it’s going to live.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 14 :
So, yes, if you’re doing a gas-filled window in Colorado, you’re already at this elevation. That’s great. But 80% of the glass in this industry comes from one company, and that’s Cardinal Glass. And they just stamped the appropriate name in the corner. I see.
SPEAKER 16 :
So nobody’s making their own glass. Anyways, they might be assembling the window and doing some things along those lines, but the glass is the glass.
SPEAKER 14 :
The bulk of the glass is coming from, yeah.
SPEAKER 16 :
Car windshields are kind of that same way. There’s not that many manufacturers of car windshields either.
SPEAKER 14 :
Same thing, yeah. So Provia is the company that I use, and they are actually the only one that I’m aware of that makes their own glass. They actually bought their own float facilities, so they’re able to do whatever we ask of them.
SPEAKER 16 :
Which means they’ve got more, I’m assuming, they’ve got more control over what goes into that actual piece of glass, the rating, what’s needed, all of that. Now, a question I have for you. If you’re looking at a double pane window, which most are, and do they make, I don’t know if this is a question I’ve ever asked you, is the outside and the inside glass exactly the same or are they made differently accordingly because one is on the outside facing the weather while the other one’s on the inside of the home?
SPEAKER 14 :
So there are a couple ways to approach that. You can do what’s called balanced glass, where each sheet of glass will be the same thickness. But I have a lot of customers that are concerned with acoustics. They want to block out more of that outside noise. So in that case, I do what’s called unbalanced glass. My outer pane is going to be thicker than the inner pane. And when these companies tell you, oh, triple pane glass, it’s the best for acoustics, it’s actually not because you have two acoustic chambers in triple pane. So I’m always aware of that and ask those questions.
SPEAKER 16 :
I can see where using the two different thickness of glass would be better than triple pane.
SPEAKER 14 :
Absolutely, yeah. When you have a thicker outer glass. Changing that echo chamber, basically, is what you’re doing.
SPEAKER 16 :
Exactly. We’ve never talked about that. That makes total sense.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, I have quite a few customers, a lot of veterans, that they want to have it as quiet as it can be.
SPEAKER 16 :
People that live next to, you know, there’s some folks that live right up against a busy street or something along those lines, and maybe there’s train tracks nearby, whatever the case may be. School, you’re trying to keep things as dead, quote-unquote, as you can.
SPEAKER 14 :
Yeah, that’s it. And the other side of that, even with a traditional balanced glazing, when you install it correctly, insulate it correctly, you’re going to see a difference. But when people really want to get the max out of that glass, I’ll do unbalanced.
SPEAKER 16 :
Talk to us about the install side. I know it’s something we hit on a lot, but a lot of folks need to understand literally what are you doing that’s different than what other folks are doing on the install side.
SPEAKER 14 :
So Colorado’s high plain desert, and they’re not overly concerned with water mitigation.
SPEAKER 16 :
Right.
SPEAKER 14 :
So before the window even goes into the opening, we’re protecting that framing, the trimmer studs. We’re taping over that sill to create a sill pan system. We incorporate head flashing over the window on the exterior window. set that window in the opening, shim to adjust, foam insulate. We just take it. It’s basically Massachusetts building code. Okay. So I make my guys follow a stricter code than is required because it’s whether we’re concerned with water or not. I see a lot of jobs where water has been in the wall and coming in the windows.
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Okay.
SPEAKER 14 :
I actually have a customer that called into Provia because they were having water pouring in over the top of their windows and Provia told them to call me just because they know we install it differently. Sent me videos and showed me the outside and I recommended he go back to that company and have them do it right you know he shouldn’t be incurring the cost of fixing what was already there and should have been it was a horrible installation and it really and the company said well you know that’s it meets code and you have to get a handyman to come seal over the top and that’s That’s not the case.
SPEAKER 16 :
I know it’s not Fix-It Radio, but I got one more question I want to throw at you, so we might as well do this, even though I do this all on Saturday mornings at 9 anyways. But one last question. In the other trades, it’s becoming more and more popular for there to be a – broker of sorts in other words this may be the person for the company’s actually got the name behind them they go out do a lot of the sales and so on or if you see an ad you may be calling into them at the end of the day though they have nothing to do with the actual install love what’s happening could be a hot water heater are your water heater should say it could be a furnace something along those lines at the end of the day they’re literally brokering that service out to ever they can find as the low bid now meaning that sincerely and they get that person then come in and do all of the work, the main company that you think you’re dealing with is who you’re writing the check to and all of that. But at the end of the day, they are not doing the install or anything along those lines. And frankly, you really don’t know the quality or whatever that you’re going to be getting at the end of the day. And what these big companies do because of the clout they have is they can get their Google ratings and their rankings up really, really high because they work on that on a professional basis. and they know how to bury some of the not-so-nice reviews they may actually get. So they may look like a really, really upfront, reputable company, but frankly, they’re nothing more than a broker for that particular service. Does the same thing happen on Windows?
SPEAKER 14 :
It does, not to the extent that it does in some of the other trades, but it is starting to kind of generate that type of a business model. And to your point, those ratings can be bought, and that’s the thing. I really don’t ask our customers to do it. I figure if someone wants to give us a rating, they’re going to give us a rating. And when it’s organic and it hasn’t been solicited, those are the best because you know that it’s a genuine rating.
SPEAKER 16 :
So those of you listening, please, if you’ve got any window questions, doors, anything along those lines, give Dave a call. What’s our deal as we head through the rest of this month and into April? What are you doing for folks?
SPEAKER 14 :
We’re actually focusing on windows. Windows are going to be a bigger, you know, we’re getting into that season now. So we’re doing 35% off, you know, three windows or less. And then if they’re going above that, we’re doing 40% off. And, again, we’re including the installation and all of the ancillary materials that we use to install it.
SPEAKER 16 :
Okay. I’m putting that into my notes. All right. That’s awesome. Again, Dave Bancroft, Veteran Windows and Doors. Just go to klzradio.com, rushtoreason.com. Either one of those take you to Dave. You can call directly also, 303-529-0720. You can get a hold of Dave directly that way as well. But, Dave, as always, I appreciate it. I learn something every time you’re here. So I think I could maybe jump off air and go sell windows.
SPEAKER 14 :
You could.
SPEAKER 16 :
You’re hired. I’ve learned enough in the last couple of years of knowing you that, you know what, I talk to people occasionally outside of here, and they’ll start talking about windows or something, and I’ll kind of jump in and say, well, did you know such and such? And they’ll look at you like, are you a window guy? And I’m like, no, no, no, but I know a really great one.
SPEAKER 14 :
I know a guy.
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And the conversation just keeps going, and usually I give your name, and off we go. So it works out perfect. Dave, I appreciate you. You’re a good man. Veteran Windows and Doors, again, folks, klzradio.com. Golden Eagle Financial coming up next. And, yes, all of this has a factor. What you do with your home, the value of the windows and doors and how that can increase value, all of this has to do with your future retirement. Talk to Al Smith today when it comes to your retirement plans. Find him also at klzradio.com.
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SPEAKER 16 :
All right, Roof Savers of Colorado, and Dave is there to take care of whatever roofing need that you have. And right now, he has done several bids here recently where he’s coming in about 40% less than competitors when it comes to full roof replacement. So if you’ve got anything you need, give Dave a call today, 303-710-6916.
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At Roof Savers Colorado, we are about more than roofs. We are about helping you make the best decisions with the right information. Being a homeowner isn’t getting any easier or cheaper, and neither is getting your roof the solution it needs. Deductibles are going through the roof, and with every passing year, insurance covers less than the one before. Due to a record amount of hailstorms recently, insurance companies have started limiting your coverage and pulling out-of-states entirely. We know the industry. With over 3,000 roofs under our belts and 23 years of experience, Dave Hart and his team are ready to complete a free roof inspection and discuss the option that is best for you. Don’t wait. Policy renewals are increasing by as much as 50%. Now is the time to get the solution you need. Call Roof Savers Colorado today at 303-325-3200. 710-6916 or go to roofsaversco.com. That’s 303-710-6916 or go to roofsaversco.com to schedule your free inspection and start saving your roof today.
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SPEAKER 03 :
God Country Reason Now back to John Rush.
SPEAKER 16 :
All right, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Thanks for tuning in today, by the way, on this fine Monday. Very nice Monday, by the way. 70 degrees out as we speak. Doesn’t look like it with the cloud cover, but it’s actually a very, very nice day and looks like it’s going to be nice throughout the rest of the week. Although it is Colorado, we could have changes that roll in. You know, usually not like the next day because typically we’ve got enough advanced warning, but it can change. So enjoy the nice weather while we have it. All right. I’m sure some of you saw the quote-unquote biggest political event in Denver history since Obama. Now, before you get all excited about that, some of you that are on the left, not so fast. Not so fast. That may not be the case. There are some folks out there. This was the AOC Bernie Sanders event that happened. I believe, was that Friday, Charlie, that it went on? Was that Friday? I can’t remember. Friday at 5, I was not here. You guys all know that. I went to Arizona for the Mecham auto auction. But it wasn’t necessarily the biggest. Now, again, the left will tell you that it was, although there are some folks out there that have used AI. and some photography and really looked and analyzed the crowd that say, yeah, probably not as big as the left is actually saying. The left will tell you there was 30,000 to 40,000 people there. AI and some of the fact-checking that’s been going on along those lines, Charlie, I’ve seen numbers where it’s somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000. I mean, still a fairly decent crowd, but that’s half of the numbers. that the left is telling you were actually there. Now, interestingly enough, we were going to talk about this last week and didn’t get a chance to. And by the way, AOC and Bernie both said there were 34,000 people there. I have not seen any pictures that would even indicate there were 34,000 people there. 34,000 people is half of the football stadium, by the way, just as a reference. You’d have to take one entire half of the stadium, you know, work your way around, then go throw all those people into that area of Civic Center Park. And you can imagine how full it would actually be. And I’ve seen pictures and know it wasn’t that full or deep is what I just described. Not even close. So with that being said, they also didn’t have to pull a permit for this. Even though you Denverites paid a lot of money and security and all sorts of other things to have this event take place, they claim because it was a rally, quote-unquote, free speech rally, they didn’t need to pull any permits for this. Now, I will tell you this, and I don’t think I’m far off in saying this. Had this been something to do with Donald Trump, the city of Denver would have made them pull a permit. There wouldn’t have been any choices. And I’m not wrong in stating that, by the way. Their whole tour, by the way, is based on fighting oligarchy coming from two individuals that literally entered their jobs, politically speaking, penniless. And now even AOC having millions. This is the two people talking about that. Just keep that in mind when you hear these two knuckleheads speak, which, by the way, I don’t know what other two weirdo poster childs you could go find for your cause besides those two, but holy cow. I get it. They’ve got their own weirdo following that’s out there, and I understand that part of it. But, oh, my, you guys on the left can’t find anybody better to talk about things than Bernie and AOC, some of the most wackiest leftists that are out there. I mean, you know, basically, you know, Bernie talking about we will not accept the richest guy in the world running all over Washington, making cuts to the Social Security. By the way, nothing has been cut to the Social Security Administration. Nothing’s been cut to the VA. And then he says almost destroying the Department of Education. That’s the idea. We want to destroy the Department of Education, Bernie, because it’s been in effect since the 70s and has done nothing since. literally has nothing to show for it. Test scores have gone down, not up. He says, all so that we can give almost a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the wealthiest 1%. By the way, that hasn’t been said, stated, nor done. Bernie loves to talk about that, by the way, even though Bernie himself is very wealthy. Don’t forget that part of this equation. Bernie himself is extremely wealthy. and hasn’t worked a real day in his life, a real job in his life. He’s been in politics from day one. AOC, I guess she bartended for a while. I guess you could call that a real job. But outside of that, I’m not sure she’s held a real job either. And keep in mind, both of these individuals, AOC especially, is a puppet for others. She’s one of those individuals that, because somebody else couldn’t run, they got her to do it on their behalf and is getting her to do all of their bidding because they couldn’t do it themselves for whatever reason. So she becomes the puppet, the poster child, if you would. So, bottom line… No, it wasn’t the biggest political rally in Denver since Obama. There have been others that have been extremely large, probably equaling this one. If you use their numbers, yes, it’s the biggest, but their numbers are inaccurate, by the way. All that being said, I don’t see them gaining much traction in what they’re doing. There’s a lot of folks even in the party, in the Democrat Party itself, that look at those two as, again, complete knuckleheads and really don’t want those two being their quote-unquote brand. There’s a lot on the left that do not want those two being their brand, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that. As we keep saying, and I will keep saying, the left is struggling with its own identity right now. What is it? Who is it? I know we struggle with that on our side occasionally, especially in certain like in Colorado. We’re struggling with that as a state. But nationally, you pretty much know where the GOP stands. You know what Trump stands for, what he’s doing, what he’s trying to accomplish and so on. And again, anytime somebody is criticizing those that are trying to cut waste, fraud and abuse, you have to ask yourself what’s in it for them. What’s in it for them? Why would anybody be against cutting waste, fraud, and abuse unless you’re involved in it? Unless you’ve got a cut of it some way, somehow, why would you care? Now, by the way, one area that needs to be addressed that no one will, including this administration, is Social Security. Now, maybe after you cut all of the waste, fraud, and abuse from Social Security, it will be more solvent than it is now, but it needs some further adjustments to even keep it solvent on down the road. Far too many people taking versus those that are putting in. That’s not the problem of those that are taking. I understand that, but it’s a fundamental flaw with the system, with the program. And far too many people rely on Social Security only for their retirement, whereby they should be subsidizing that on their own in other ways. And I get it. Most don’t. They rely on Social Security. They feel like I put in, I should be able to get out. Really quick, one of the craziest memes I still see floating around, and even conservatives will post this, and I just shake my head when they do. They’ll have this big old long meme about how, you know, you know, Social Security and Medicare is not an entitlement, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Quit calling it that. It literally it’s the definition of the word. You put in a specified amount. Entitling you to X coming back. That’s why it’s called an entitlement because you’re entitled to the money that you put in with interest coming back to you. Part of the problem with Social Security is, by the way, that amount is much larger if you live long enough than what you actually put in. And you can do the math on your own. You can go to your own Social Security account, look at how much money you would actually receive. It shows you exactly how much you’ve put in. And, yes, I know there’s arguments to be made about if I would have invested this money somewhere else and it would have compounded, then it would never run out and I wouldn’t take more out than I put in. I understand all of that. I’m just saying if you take everything you’ve put in and you look at what you’ll get in return, even with some interest, most people will take more out than they’ve put in. And no, unfortunately, the money wasn’t invested the way that it should have been. In fact, it’s been borrowed against. That’s a whole other discussion probably for another day. But again, the one thing still that upsets me when I see even conservatives post, it’s not an entitlement. Actually, it’s the definition of the word. It is, in fact, an entitlement. You are entitled to the money you’ve put in. and that’s why it’s called that. So it always bothers me when I see somebody say, quit calling these entitlements. Well, they are. Quit posting something stupid until you actually go research what the meaning of the word is, then if you don’t want people calling it that. Dr. Scott Faulkner coming up next. If you need a doctor that thinks like we do, wants to take care of you, not based upon what your insurance company or big pharma thinks, but based upon what he knows is best for you, that is Dr. Scott, 303-663-6990.
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Are you tired of crisis care and instead want true health care? Do you want to improve your overall fitness and beauty? Do you have a chronic medical condition that no one has taken the time to understand? Are you trying to meet a health or weight goal? Or maybe you’re just looking for a great doctor who thinks the way you do. Dr. Scott is a board certified internal medicine specialist, bringing decades of experience and expertise to the table. Dr. Scott is a true advocate of the latest advancements in health care. That’s why he uses umbilical derived stem cells, which have been clinically proven to be the most potent stem cells available. Worried about being lost in the crowd of impersonal health care? Fear not. Dr. Scott is a big picture doctor, not beholden to big pharma or big insurance like some other providers. He takes the time to understand your unique needs and will customize your health care to fit you, your body, and your lifestyle. Reach your full potential and achieve your goals. Call Dr. Scott today at 303-663-6990 or visit him online at castlerockregenerativehealth.com or find him at rushtoreason.com. Dr. Scott Faulkner and Castle Rock Regenerative Health Care is your path to a healthier tomorrow.
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SPEAKER 03 :
The best export we have is common sense. You’re listening to Rush to Reason.
SPEAKER 16 :
And we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. John and Cheyenne, you’re next.
SPEAKER 05 :
So, John, how are you today? I’m good. How are you? Yeah. I got the flu, so. Oh, that sucks. Yeah, it does. But at least one of the good things is I could work from home, so I didn’t have to spread it around my office.
SPEAKER 16 :
Nice, nice.
SPEAKER 05 :
So I told my boss, and he was like, no, no, I don’t want you anywhere near the office. Nope. Which is good. But you were talking about Social Security. Since we entered the workforce, and we’re about the same age within a year or two, they have told us Social Security was going to run out of money. Right. Have they had about, what, twice a year, three times a year? So anyone our age, our generation, or younger should have not planned on relying on Social Security at all to support them in there. But there are people out there now, our parents’ generation, yeah, they were told, you’ll have your Social Security, you’ll be fine. I know my father, he had pensions and stuff like that. He prepared because he didn’t think it was going to be enough. But if you’re planning on just Social Security and say it’s you and a wife and you get the max, which is about $3,200, I think, for a couple. I mean, yeah, if your house is paid for, you don’t have a mortgage, you could survive on that, but you’re not going to have any fun in retirement. Right.
SPEAKER 16 :
Keyword, you will survive.
SPEAKER 05 :
Survive. You won’t be driving a new car. You’ll be fixing your old car. You won’t be going on vacations to anywhere fun. You will just be, you know, surviving. So, I mean, I’ve been squirreling money away in a 401k every company I work for. And as I move companies, I roll it over to the current one I’m in. I mean, I’ve got, you know, it’s enough to where between me and my wife, we are going to be together. And no problem. But a lot of people aren’t planning there. And like that guy that you have that one of your sponsors who also is Al, I think.
SPEAKER 16 :
Al Smith. Yep.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. It’s not too late. Even if you’re 55.
SPEAKER 16 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 05 :
He can give you advice to say, hey, do this, do that. Like I see people that where I work, our company does a 401k match. And these young kids were like, oh, I’m not. I’m like, you’re giving free money away. If they’re going to do a 401k match, you’ve got to take at least a match because otherwise you’re giving money away. You hear some of these people that are like, well, the government’s going to take your 401k at some point. Well, they haven’t yet. Maybe, but I don’t see Donald Trump doing it.
SPEAKER 16 :
We get to a point where they take that. We are in a world of heard and a lot about what I talk about on Ready Radio is applicable, John.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I don’t see them taking 401ks away anytime soon.
SPEAKER 17 :
Me neither.
SPEAKER 05 :
But it could happen. But, you know, and then there’s other people that are on pensions and everything. I would say government pensions would go before 401ks or be cut.
SPEAKER 16 :
Um, you know, you could be right. And personally, I don’t think we’ll ever get there. So I don’t think that’s a huge issue.
SPEAKER 05 :
We won’t. We won’t. Maybe our kids, maybe our grandkids might see it, you know, 50, 60 years from now. But I don’t think we’ll see it in our lifetimes.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
But, you know, depends on. And that’s the other thing with Social Security. I asked my financial advisor, I said, when should I take my Social Security? He goes, when are you going to die?
SPEAKER 16 :
That’s the right answer, because the question is you don’t know.
SPEAKER 05 :
If you know it’s going to die, then you can do the math. But if you don’t, then you have to take the crapshoot, because I think it’s a 30% cut if you take it at 62, guys our age. And that doesn’t go up. You’re stuck there. The only thing you get is cost of living when Congress decides to give Social Security a cost of living increase. So if you could wait until at least you hit full… That’s always a good thing. If you can afford it. I have a cousin who would didn’t need it. So he waited till and his parents lived into their 90s. So he knew he waited till he was 70 so he could get max, which is the bit, you know, which is better than, you know, even full. But you have to talk to your financial guys and. I don’t know, John. It’s scary right now that these people are still planning on Social Security alone.
SPEAKER 16 :
I know. That’s what they are, though.
SPEAKER 05 :
They’re going to be the ones that we’re going to see at 75 years old working in Walmart.
SPEAKER 16 :
Yeah, trying to work out a living.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes. John, welcome back. Have a good week.
SPEAKER 16 :
Appreciate you, man. Thank you very much, John. Joe, you’re next. Go ahead, sir.
SPEAKER 06 :
John, this is something I’ve put in hours and hours and hours of study on. So just to kind of build on what John said, First, the trustees of the Social Security Trust Fund in their annual report to Congress are indeed predicting that, without changes, that the fund will go broke by 2035. What’s been happening for years now, they’ve been paying out more in benefits and administrative overhead costs than they’ve been taking in. And to cover that gap, they’ve been dipping into, there is such a thing as called the Social Security Trust Fund, which is $2.7 trillion. And you talk about borrowing. Well, The $2.7 trillion is invested in interest-bearing U.S. Treasury bonds, which contributed $68.5 billion into the fund last year. So what you call borrowing from the fund is really investing on the part of the trustees. They invest that surplus. However, that $2.7 trillion shrinking… is shrinking, and the amount by which it’s shrinking grows every year. And what they’re saying is, hey, without changes at the rate it’s going, by 2035, it’ll be all gone. And after 2035, there’ll only be enough cash coming in to pay out promised benefits at the rate of 80 cents on the dollar. Now, what’s the simple fix? The same one that’s been done… Social Security was enacted in 1935, and since then, six times… Congress has increased the contribution rate. It initially was like 1%. Then it went to 2%, 2.5%. All they would have to do, John, is bump the contribution rate from both the employee and the employer. By the way, it’s 7.5% each, but only 6.2% of that goes to Social Security. The other 1.3% goes to Medicare. But if they were to simply bump the FICA from 7.5% to 8.0%, half a percent each, that would move the program from an annual cash deficit to back into an annual cash surplus position. Simple fix. Now, unfortunately, the longer you wait to implement that, the larger it has to be. If you did it today, it’s a half a percent. If you wait five years, it’s going to have to be a percent.
SPEAKER 16 :
And unfortunately, Joe, as you know, nobody has the political fortitude to do either. Let me just say this, to do anything.
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. So it’s going to come right down to a crisis. They’re going to wait until the very last minute And then it’s going to be a huge, painful adjustment. Now, I want to go back, by the way, to that borrowing slash investment. If you calculate the return on that investment, now, every penny by law, unfortunately, must be and can only be invested in U.S. Treasury bonds. Well, the bulk of that money has been put in 30-year bonds. So if you divide, let’s round it up to $70 billion by 2.7 billion, you come up with a rate of return of 2.7%, which is pathetic. If they had put that money in, say, the S&P 500 for the past 50 years, you know what the average return on the S&P 500, including dividend re-investment… Probably double of that. Quadruple, John. Quadruple. Triple.
SPEAKER 1 :
11.9%.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, so triple. Gotcha.
SPEAKER 1 :
11.9%.
SPEAKER 06 :
Now, a couple of people over the years have said, well, why don’t we put some of the money… you know, a quarter, a third, a half, you know, into the very broad stock market. And the Democrats, no, no, no, that’s Wall Street. We’re not going to make Wall Street rich. Well, John, so what we’ve got now is a 2.7 blended rate of return versus what would have been 11.9% rate of return. Think about the difference. Let’s call it 3% times 3 would be 9. Even if you tripled it, you only get to nine. Actually, I was correct on it is quadruple. 11.9% is quadruple the rate of return that the fund has been getting on. It’s a big difference. Huge difference now. And why is it going broke? Well, John, when the program was created in 1935, the average life expectancy was 66. And you couldn’t retire till you were 65, which meant that almost half the people didn’t live long enough to collect. Well, Since 1935, the average life expectancy has gone from 66 to 78, which is a 12-year increase. But how much has the age to be in collecting full benefits grown? Two years. So we went from 65 to 67 in terms of when you could start to collect full benefits. But the average with modern medicine, people are now living 12 years longer, and the program was never adjusted to account for that 12-year increase to age 78. And here’s the last – people think, well, all we need to do is raise the cap and make those billionaires pay their fair share. And what they want to do, John, is they want to raise the contribution cap. But then they – and by the way, your benefits are mathematically linked to how much you put in. If you put in twice the amount I put in every year for the past 30 years, your check is going to be almost twice as big as mine. But what they want to do is they want to uncap the… So if Elon Musk makes a billion dollars, they want him to pay Social Security on a billion dollars. But they don’t want him to draw out a benefit based on that billion-dollar contribution, which what they want to do is convert the program into a completely new and different wealth redistribution program where we take money, we take unlimited amounts of money from rich people, but we don’t let them take out… a benefit proportional to what they put in. How’s that fair? It isn’t.
SPEAKER 16 :
And what do you think, Joe, if we went, not saying we would, but if we went that direction, how long do you think that would last?
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, first of all, John, if you start taxing people, you know, three years ago, 6,700 millionaires and billionaires renounced their citizenship and left this country and took their money and their tax revenues somewhere else. These people need to read the fable, The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg.
SPEAKER 16 :
But, John, this is a huge— And on top of that, Joe, too, if anybody thinks for one minute that these particular individuals don’t have ways of handling things legally, by the way, when it comes to sheltering some of their income through all sorts of other means possible, Joe, they will be doing that, and all they will do is work at it all that much harder if you do something like we just said.
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. Oh, and the other thing, John, they want to – right now you only pay Social Security on wages. On wages, that’s right. They want to expand. W-2 income. They want to do it to capital gains tax, you sell stocks.
SPEAKER 17 :
Won’t ever happen.
SPEAKER 06 :
Dividends. Well, John, trust me. If you were to ever get a Democrat majority and they were to do away with the filibuster, they would absolutely change it because, John, they hate the billionaires. Mm-hmm. The whole mantra of the left now is billionaires are evil.
SPEAKER 16 :
They hate the billionaires, yet billionaires are what’s funded their party. Go figure.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 16 :
The George Soroses and so on have funded their party.
SPEAKER 06 :
John, this whole thing about tax the rich, raise the cap. By the way, they want to implement a wealth tax because by the 16th Amendment of the United States Constitution gave the government the power to tax specifically income and only income. And if it didn’t, I guarantee the Democrats would have already imposed a wealth tax. By the way, the states like Massachusetts have indeed already passed. The states are not have the ability to tax wealth, even though the federal government doesn’t. That may seem a little bizarre, but a state can tax wealth and some states have. And as soon as they do, their billionaires start changing their they go there. their residency. Money is fungible. It’ll move.
SPEAKER 16 :
Sure, sure will. It always cracks me up, Joe, and especially now you hear somebody like Bernie talk about how Elon is trying to steal and take away your Social Security benefits. Joe, nothing has been stated along those lines at all, period. Zero.
SPEAKER 06 :
They’ll also tell you that’s in Project 2025. John, there’s not one word in Project 2025 is over 900 pages. John, there’s not one chapter, not one section in Project 2025 that talks about changing Social Security in any way, shape, or form. But people will swear to you that it’s in Project 2025.
SPEAKER 16 :
And the reality is, yes, it does need done, but nobody has the political wherewithal to address it.
SPEAKER 06 :
No, you need – John, I think you need a guy who’s like – like Trump, who’s not worried about running for re-election.
SPEAKER 16 :
The problem is it still gets burdened onto your party at that point, and even then, nobody’s willing to take it on.
SPEAKER 06 :
Nobody’s willing to take it on.
SPEAKER 16 :
Because of what I just said, even though you might be willing to individually, your party doesn’t have the wherewithal to join in, and you may be wanting to push that thing through as hard as you can, i.e. a Trump, but now you’ve got to garner enough support, politically speaking, to make that happen. Not going to happen, Joe.
SPEAKER 06 :
It’s called the third rail of Congress. You touch Social Security, you die.
SPEAKER 16 :
I mean, the only way you’re going to ever make that happen is to round up enough people that are already on their way out as well, which I don’t know where those people are, Joe. But the only way to make that work is you’ve got to find enough other senators and congressmen and women that are willing to sacrifice their career. In other words, not run again and not be able to suck up the political damage from it and move forward. Otherwise, it’s not going to happen, which my then prediction is nothing’s going to happen.
SPEAKER 06 :
Right. It’ll come down to the very last minute, John, you know, the day before it goes broke. And by the way, most people probably don’t know where the phrase third rail comes from. I’m sure you do. But for most of your listeners, since they don’t live near New York City, in the New York City subway system, you’ve got the two main tracks. And then on the far side of the platform, there’s a third rail that parallels the two tracks. And that’s the hot rail. That’s where the power comes from. There’s a a feeler arm from the car where it glides along the top and sucks electricity out of that third rail. And if you touch the third rail on the New York City subway system, you die. And that’s where the phrase touch, you know.
SPEAKER 16 :
Can’t touch the third rail.
SPEAKER 06 :
You touch the third rail, you die. If anybody touches Social Security, they die politically.
SPEAKER 16 :
You’re right. And, Joe, my prediction is, despite what Bernie and others are saying, it’s not going to happen. As much as even folks like Elon Musk and I think even Donald Trump know it needs to be touched, it won’t be.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, again, but the way they want to touch it and the way that would make them heroes, if they ever get 60 votes in the Senate, John, they will touch it by implementing these things like raise the cap, taxing capital gains, taxing dividends. That’s how they want to fix it, John.
SPEAKER 17 :
Right.
SPEAKER 06 :
And that would make them heroes. That would get them reelected.
SPEAKER 17 :
Right.
SPEAKER 06 :
Good point. So God forbid they get all three houses of Congress. They get the White House.
SPEAKER 16 :
Because that is how they’ll fix it. You’re correct on that.
SPEAKER 06 :
That is exactly how they would fix it. You’re right. I guarantee it would get them reelected. So let’s pray that it never gets there.
SPEAKER 16 :
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SPEAKER 16 :
All right, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Thanks, Joe and John, for calling in on that last topic. It wasn’t really in my notes, but that was a dovetail into what Bernie Sanders and AOC were talking about. And yes, they’re always quick to accuse currently right now, Donald Trump and or Doge, of going after some of those core entitlements when nothing, literally nothing, could be farther from the truth. All they’ve talked about is cleaning up some of the waste, fraud, and abuse that are inside those particular programs. And yes, there’s a lot. In fact, I had an argument last time Jordan Goodman was on with us last Tuesday talking about that very subject. And there are those out there that don’t think there’s that much waste, fraud, and abuse there. Knowing some of the individuals that I know that work inside of not those departments but that are in the medical end of things, including those like Steve House and Dr. Kelly Victory, I hate to tell Jordan Goodman, but there is a lot more waste, fraud, and abuse than I think anybody could imagine. And believe me, that stuff will be brought out. And what I mean by waste, fraud, and abuse is there is so much overbilling and wasteful billing when it comes to hospitals and the like. And really quick, I’ll give you an example of. And these are things that I think can be curtailed. And I understand it has to be done on a careful basis, something I might get and talk to Dr. Kelly Victory about at a later date. But I’ll give you a really quick example. My dad, as you all know, I talked about last week, he had another stroke. and he’s at that stage where we already know that they’re happening and they’re kind of happening on a not regular basis but they’re happening now we know he had a stroke the cat can show the cat scan showed that and at first there were those there that wanted him to go through and do a whole mri procedure and to do that it’s quite expensive there’s a lot of things that have to be done in his case his pacemaker has to get shut down there’s all sorts of things that have to happen and it’s by the way not cheap To have these things done. So finally, his neurologist comes in and we had a nice little conversation. And he and I were on the same page. It’s like we can do all of this. At the end of the day, we’re not really sure what this is going to show us additionally on top of what we already know. So no offense. Why go through that extra cost and expense and time and agony and so on to do that? And I’m like, thank you. I agree. I’m with you, and no, we don’t need to go through that procedure. Here’s my point, though. How many of those things get done at times that don’t necessarily have to be done that’s still costing all of us as taxpayers money when it’s all said and done? I can get into more of that later, but we’ll do that at a later date. This has been the first hour of Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 1 :
I’m a rich guy
