<prompt> Human: Im 23 years old and this is my first real job. The reasons given for us being able to opt out of SS is that we are a technically a government job through a university and that our employer exceeds what SS would provide for retirement benefits by having a generous pension and 403b contribution.The benefit is obvious, an extra 6 on my paycheck that doesnt go to taxes. The con is that I wont be earning credits towards SS in the future, though hopefully this can be offset by my own retirement planning. So what do yall think? Would you recommend that I remain opted out, and why?Assistant: This depends on several things.1 How sure are you that Social Security will be around in a similar form when you retire? Different people will answer this question different ways. If you are of the opinion that SS is going bankruptwill be radically reformed, this is an argument for opting out.2 Does opting out increase other benefits for you? Yes, SS takes 6.2 of your pay. But, your employer also MATCHES that amount. So, if by opting out they also are avoiding their 6.2, I would expect you to get something for that. Maybe the something you get is better benefits all around, but this is worth considering.3 How disciplined are you? Can you force yourself to contribute 6-12 EXTRA to retirement on top of normal amounts? One of the nice things about SS is that it is hidden in the sense that most people dont think of it as forced retirement savings but instead as taxes and therefore an expense.4 How long do you think you will live? The benefits you get from SS NEVER expire. If you live to be 110, you will keep getting checks. This is somewhat true with other funds you can spend interest only and not principle, but still SS is more valuable the longer you live.Human: Youve been awesome and super helpful. Thank you.Essentially my current status is that 9.2 of my wages goes into my 403b which is set up with a portfolio that Im pretty happy with. On top of that my employer matches 8.1 of my gross pay into my pension they would only match 5 if I opted into SS. I feel pretty comfortable with this setup for the time being, though yall have raised some good points. I will definitely be considering getting back into SS for my next job ifwhenever that happens.  <response>: Whether or not you see yourself working for current employer for life is actually a pretty decent way to evaluate your options. They put more into your defined benefit pension if you opt-out of SS because they themselves dont have to pay the employer portion of SS on your behalf. However, almost all public sector pensions are structured to reward longevity vs. working for a few years and moving on. On top of that, being eligible for all the potential benefits of Social Security usually requires 10 years of paying into FICA fewer years for some things like disability - so if you decline and then changed employers youd be starting fresh on eligibility criteria, I think. 