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Colvin sails through Social Security confirmation hearing
Criticism of President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the Social Security Administration appeared to evaporate Thursday at a confirmation hearing that featured few questions about controversial service cuts and recent allegations of mismanagement. Carolyn W. Colvin’s hearing before the Senate…
Medicare gets cleaner bill of health, but risks ahead
Medicare and Social Security are looking a bit healthier, but have hardly fully recovered and could need dramatic intervention within a few years, a report out this week by trustees of the federal programs concludes. The annual report from the Trustees…
What are the different inflation indexes?
Different government agencies produce a lot of different price indexes. Broadly speaking, these indexes all show the same large-scale trends over time. Inflation was high in the 1970s and has been low recently. Electronics have gotten cheaper and medical care…
Retirement planning? Know what your goals are.
Retirement planning, or any other long-term investing, requires knowing what your ultimate goals are and having a porfolio strategy to match. Understanding how the portfolio completes the plan in the long-term supports improved retirement or other types of planning in…
Too Young for Disability Insurance? Yeah, Right
If you are in your 20s or early 30s, you may live like you’re “Young, Wild and Free,” to borrow a song title from the recent past. But you’re not immune from injury or illness. Unless you’re wealthy, making ends meet…
House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security Hearing
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for inviting me to address the question of “What Workers Need to Know About Social Security as They Plan for Their Retirement.” I am a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Previously…
Medicare Is in Better Health Than You Might Think
Millions of retirees rely on benefits from Social Security and Medicare for their financial survival after they quit working, but many policymakers have concerns about their long-term financial sustainability. Earlier this week, the trustees in charge of these critical programs…
I Played by the Rules on Immigration. Why Is the U.S. Making It So Hard for Me to Become a Doctor?
Fifteen years ago, when I was 6, my parents and I moved to the United States from Canada, where I was born. Since moving to this great country, I have attended elementary, middle and high school in Coral Springs, Fla.,…
Medicare Hype
The latest Medicare Trustees report was released yesterday and there were two main messages in the administration’s press release: (1) slower Medicare growth has added four more years to the life of the Medicare Trust Fund, relative to last year’s report, and (2)…
House Social Security Hearing Opens With Plenty Of Bickering
As Americans grapple with how to prepare for retirement in the face of rising Social Security concerns, Congress had another moment of bickering on Capitol Hill. On Tuesday morning, the House Ways and Means subcommittee on Social Security held a hearing to discuss the…