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2026 COLA Thoughts…Will the Increase Be Enough?
The eagerly awaited announcement of next year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), typically made on October 15, may face delays due to the government shutdown and its impact on staffing at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But whenever the announcement…
Thoughts on Delaying Social Security Benefits
Most folks know that age 62 is the point at which Social Security benefits can be claimed. Most folks also know that exercising this option represents a reduction in the monthly amount they could receive by waiting until their full…
How Recent Congressional Moves Have Impacted Social Security’s Insolvency Timeline
The closer we get to the end, the sharper the pencils are that write the target dates for insolvency. In a Yahoo!Finance post yesterday by T. Woods, for example, cites the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill’s tax-related provisions…
GIG Workers and Retirement…What’s Their Future Look Like?
In a postandcourier.com post by PensionBee founder and CEO Romi Savova, I found a startling statistic:: By 2027, freelancers will make up more than 50 percent of the workforce, marking a fundamental shift in the U.S. labor market. In her…
The Connection Between Job Changes and Retirement Risk
Changing employment is relatively common these days, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that most people have held a dozen or more jobs during their time in the workforce. Gone are the days of a lifetime of employment at…
COLA Watch: 2026…Could a Government Shutdown Delay the Final Projection?
Every October, the analysts in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reach prominence as they grind the numbers leading to the annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Traditionally, the BLS supplies the data needed to finalize the COLA calculation in…
Government Shutdown and Social Security Payments
The absence of agreement on appropriations funding and the countdown to a government shutdown are causing some angst among the legions of Social Security beneficiaries. What will happen with the scheduled distribution of benefit payments is a logical question on…
Cautionary Remarks on the Elimination of Paper Checks
With the planned cessation of paper checks for an estimated 390,000 Social Security recipients on September 30, some sources are sounding the alarm. For example, Social Security Works president Nancy Altman yesterday published a statement describing the move as having…
More on the OBBBA “Bonus Deduction”
The “No Tax on Social Security” Promise President Trump’s campaign pledge to end the taxation of Social Security benefits met with a roadblock in the Senate, prohibiting changes to the structure of Social Security during a budget reconciliation process. Undaunted,…
Full Retirement Age In the News (Again)
Life expectancy has improved substantially since the inception of Social Security nearly a century ago. Consequently, retirement benefits need to be paid for much longer than originally intended. To borrow a phrase from Mercatus Center’s Charles P. Blahous in his…