Social Security
Viewpoints on Privatization of Social Security In the News Again
Since the Social Security Board of Trustees issued the 2024 Report on the status of the Old-Age and Survivors and Disability Insurance trust funds earlier this month, the tempo has been building regarding the program’s future financial problems. Nothing in…
Using Social Security Video Connect to do Business with SSA
In a continuing effort to improve interaction with the public, the Social Security Administration (SSA) now makes available a service enabling callers to conduct business using video on personal devices, from their preferred location. Called “Video Connect,” there are a…
Dealing With Inadequate Retirement Savings and the Potential for Social Security Changes
Many media reports have dealt with the inability of many Americans to accumulate a financial cushion for their retirement years. With so many retirees needing to rely heavily on Social Security benefits to get by, and with inflation steadily eroding…
Warning: Retirees Are Likely to Continue Losing Ground to Inflation
You’ve probably seen the reports stating that seniors have lost considerable ground to inflation since 2000. If you’re a retiree living on Social Security benefits, you’re well aware of the cost increases that have outstripped your income for some time,…
Citizen Activists Join the Fight to Ward Off Social Security Insolvency
In an interesting display of public attention to the looming insolvency problem facing Social Security, union representatives and retiree activists in Wisconsin are focusing on the program’s current operations and its future. For the past two months, a regiment of…
Your Monthly Social Security Benefit Payment–the Benefit of Waiting
One of the reasons often cited for claiming Social Security benefits at the earliest opportunity is the rumor of the program’s impending “bankruptcy.” With the proliferation of explanations hitting the media in recent weeks, it’s hopeful that the false assumption…
Dealing With a Social Security Myth…The Claim that Too Many Get Unearned Benefits
You’ve probably heard the comment, or perhaps seen it on a social media site…Social Security would be in better shape if people who haven’t contributed would stop getting benefits (or some version of the same argument). As discussed in a…
Are Retirement Savings Beginning to Feel the Effects of Inflation?
With the threat of long-term inflation now a part of retirement financial planning, and with Social Security’s looming insolvency problem and accompanying uncertainties, the criticality of building that “nest egg” for later years is building steadily. And to make the…
Dispelling the rumors
We have all seen those social media posts warning that Social Security benefits will cease to exist in 2035; they are false. What is true is that even if Congress does nothing about the insolvency issue, Social Security will still…
Women want a secure retirement
In a recent report published by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS), more than three-quarters of women surveyed said the typical American worker doesn’t earn enough to save for a secure retirement. The survey also concluded that women want…