Headlines
Social Security is not welfare and should not be construed as such
This Congress is little different from past sessions. Social Security bills promising higher benefits, whether as cost of living adjustments, one-time payments, or permanent minimum benefit increases were introduced yet again by Democrats. The problem with such bills, which are…
Secure Act 2.0 Passes House – More Positive Retirement Changes Forthcoming
This week the U.S. House passed The Securing a Strong Retirement Act, known as the Secure Act 2.0, by a bipartisan vote of 414-5. It now heads to the Senate. Carmen Reinicke of CNBC breaks down the bill, which builds…
Op-ed: Don’t Raise Retirement Age. But is that advice even possible?
That Social Security needs reform is generally not in dispute. Reasonable people on all sides usually differ over how to shore up the program, not whether it needs shoring up. But Alicia Munnell of MarketWatch curiously seems not to acknowledge…
Biden’s 2023 budget on Social Security- more for field offices; nothing on solvency
Lorie Konish of CNBC writes about president Biden’s 2023 budget as it pertains to Social Security. It includes $14.8 billion for the agency that administers the program, a 14% increase over 2021. Most of the new funding is for service…
Inflation Poised to Give Social Security Recipients Huge 2023 Boost
It’s what all people are talking about–inflation. It hurts, and those on fixed incomes bear the brutal reality that they have no way to augment their incomes. No extra shift to pick up. No overtime. Their checks are the same…
Medicare vs. Medicaid: The Difference
They have similar names, and are often confused with each other, but Medicare and Medicaid are two different healthcare programs targeting two different segments of the American population. Basically, Medicare is the nation’s healthcare program for senior citizens age 65…
The Insidious Effect of Inflation
Inflation has soared in the last 12 months, clocking in at nearly 8% by the end of 2021 and, according to most economists, heading for 10% or more this year. What that means, of course, is that we are all…
When Will the 2022 Social Security Trustees Report be Published?
In a somewhat scathing letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee and Subcommittee on Social Security have requested an update on Social Security’s financial condition and, specifically, information on when the 2022 Trustees Report…
Do You Get The Maximum Social Security Benefit?
You probably don’t get the maximum monthly Social Security benefit. or anywhere near it, because it is somewhat of a theoretical number. That maximum benefit is only possible if your lifetime earnings for at least 35 years were more than…
About Fixing Old Social Security Grudges
In his inimitable fashion, retired Social Security employee and current Social Security columnist Tom Margenau writes about those who have been collecting Social Security benefits for many years, perhaps decades, living with a belief that they’re not getting the right…