I've started doing our income taxes for the year and had a pleasant surprise. If I calculate the tax in a straightforward way, we will owe a few hundred dollars. If I calculate the tax with the worksheet for capital gains and dividends, we will get a refund of a few hundred dollars!
This is surprising because our income consists of Social Security, IRA withdrawals, two teensy-weensy pensions, and capital gains and dividends. Capital gains and dividends are less than a quarter of our total income. Social Security is about half, but it isn't all taxable.
An interesting thought: Social Security is considered an entitlement, but the capital gains and dividends are considered our due.
We worked for decades paying Social Security withholding; we buy and sell stocks with a click of the mouse. The capital gains are a form of gambling and really don't contribute to the economy other than providing liquidity for the market and fees for the brokerages. The dividends are based on the profits created by thousands and thousands of workers providing goods and services. And again, we didn't provide the capital for these companies; we bought it from someone else. For providing market liquidity, we supposedly are "makers". As Social Security recipients we are "takers".
