A family's social security story tells you everything. Over their working lifetime, a couple contributed roughly $1 million into the system—both husband and wife. The dad passed away before collecting anything. The mom managed to draw benefits for 4 years, receiving $32k annually. Total collected? Just $128,000. That's a 87% haircut on what went in. Think about what that capital could've done if it had actually belonged to them—invested, compounded, or secured for the next generation. Instead, it vanished into a system designed decades ago. This is why people are rethinking where their wealth really lives.