AMAC Foundation
Don’t Obsess over Social Security!
At least one pundit who regularly watches what’s happening with the nation’s most important retirement program isn’t personally obsessing over Social Security’s looming financial issue. The issue at hand is a fact which has been reported by the Trustees of…
Myths – Part II: The Social Security Myth that Simply Refuses to Die!
Here at the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Service we deal with misconceptions about Social Security nearly every day. These largely include simple misunderstandings about how Social Security works – for example, rules on how benefits are calculated, including retirement…
Social Security Customer Service: Improving, but slowly.
Since being appointed as the new Commissioner of Social Security, Frank Bisignano is spearheading an intense drive to improve the agency’s customer service. In fact, according to the SSA, service levels have, indeed, improved year-to-year in spite of 70% higher…
Should “means testing” exist for Social Security and Medicare?
In this somewhat unconventional opinion piece, the author opines that both the Social Security and Medicare programs are suffering financial difficulties, largely because many who receive benefits do not actually need them. The author, himself a fairly affluent businessman, contends…
What you should know about Medicare
Medicare is the nation’s most important healthcare program. In fact, over 68 million people are now enrolled in this important program, enacted in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson. But as encompassing and important as Medicare is, it doesn’t cover all…
Social Security Myths and Misunderstandings
Social Security Myths are Pervasive In my efforts to explain Social Security to those who ask questions, it is often necessary to provide information contrary to the questioner’s understanding of how Social Security works. Some folks who write us possess…
The Role of Life Expectancy in Retirement Decisions
When contemplating your retirement it is crucial to focus on an important question – “When should I take my Social Security benefits?” While there are a number of factors to consider when making that decision, don’t overlook the role of…
What Would a 23% Cut in Social Security Mean?
The Trustees of Social Security have warned Congress: There will be a 23% cut in everyone’s Social Security benefit in 2033, unless Congress reforms the program. Hopefully, Congress will act soon to prevent cuts from happening - but what if…
Social Security: Once upon a time - and Today
Once upon a time, there was no real social security in the United States of America. Oh, there were a few early 19 th century attempts at public programs to limit poverty, especially for the elderly. However, all of these…
Definition Time: “Wage Indexing” and How it Works
Yesterday’s headline post on this site discussed a paper by AEI senior fellow Andy Biggs identifying “wage indexing” as a key culprit in Social Security’s long-term funding problem. As our post pointed out, wage indexing is the process of using…