I don ' t think you ' re giving a great example of where libertarianism falls off . No matter how well you save and invest there are things out of your control I would counter that the government doesn ' t have a magical answer if the economy tanks and your social security payout will be influenced . If you ' re investing diversely there isn ' t a huge risk in the long term . I think you ' re missing the even more obvious problem with social security is that young adults will be lucky to see a fraction of what they are paying into it . We ' re giving bundles of money to the wealthiest generation that there will likely ever be at the expense of our futures . No political ideology is without flaws . The root of libertarianism is the assumption that people know what ' s best for them . better than the government . Where this may fall off is that how can inner city kids who don ' t finish high school know what ' s best for them ? A libertarianism would counter that this isn ' t the problem of the government , but rather of the parents raising these kids . The solution is found in churches , communities , and private donors giving back to help the disadvantaged .