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Social Security Administration as Independent Agency
On March 31, 1995, the Social Security Administration became an independent agency. The original 1935 Social Security Act, signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935, created the three-member independent Social Security Board. This was an entirely new…
Stossel speaks on the efficiency of free markets
The free market is the only meaningful alternative to government programs, which create inefficiency and have unintended harmful effects, John Stossel ’69, Fox Business channel host and libertarian pundit said at a lecture about his political philosophy on Monday. “It doesn’t help…
Happy Birthday Boomers!
Today 10,000 Boomers celebrate their 65th birthday and another 10,000 will celebrate tomorrow. That will happen every day through 2029. And by 2030 twenty percent of the nation’s population will be 65 and older. They may be eligible for Medicare and…
‘Canary in a coal mine’: The SSDI dilemma
Social Security Disability Insurance, used by an estimated 11 million disabled workers and their eligible spouses last year, will be broke by the end of 2016. So some Democrats want to take from Peter to pay Paul when poor Peter…
Among developed nations, Americans’ tax bills are below average
With the April 15 tax-filing deadline rapidly approaching, some U.S. taxpayers may be thinking a lot about just how much they are forking over to (or getting from) Uncle Sam. A Pew Research Center report earlier this month concluded that the public sees the…
Help workers save for retirement
Unless Oregonians begin saving more money for retirement, the choices they will face in old age are stark: live in poverty, rely on public assistance or keep on working. The state Legislature can promote financial security in retirement by broadening…
The Amnesty Numbers Game
A case study in politicized statistics. Immigration policy is fraught with trade-offs. There is the welfare of citizens versus non-citizens, distribution versus efficiency, diversity versus cohesion, liberty versus security — the list goes on. There is no policy formulation that…
Creating an income plan from your savings
You’ve saved for years. Now that retirement is here (or near), how do you create an income plan from your savings? There are five steps. We, as an industry, constantly talk about the need to save for retirement. Put money into…
6.5 Million New Reasons to Worry About Your Social Security
Worldwide, there are estimated to be somewhere between 300 and 450 supercentenarians — people at or above age 110 — alive today. Unfortunately, a recent report from Social Security’s inspector general reveals that Social Security’s records indicate that about 6.5…
New unit will investigate Social Security disability claims
Rhode Island’s attorney general and the Social Security Administration have established a new unit to investigate and prevent fraudulent Social Security disability claims. Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, announced that two full-time investigators…