Social Security
Phasing out Social Security for The Rich: A Good Idea?
Various proposals over the years have talked about “means-testing” the Social Security program. Proponents see it as a way to save money for a program headed for insolvency, essentially arguing “why pay for people who don’t need it?” Alternatively, others argue…
Social Security and Family Leave: What’s the connection?
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has proposed The Economic Security for New Parents Act which would allow new parents to pull forward Social Security benefits to finance paid parental leave in exchange for having their retirement delayed by three to six months…
Starting Social Security Well After Age 62 has Benefits
In 2016 about 60 percent of new Social Security recipients began taking benefits before their full retirement age, with around one-third starting them at age 62, the earliest age possible. While some people may take benefits early due to the negative news about…
Bernie Sanders’ Social Security Bill: Good intentions, but makes shortfall worse
Sen. Sanders of Vermont is out with a new bill on Social Security. Sean Williams of The Motley Fool summarizes the bill in this article. In short, the bill would significantly improve funding for offices and for the agency to…
Social Security for Dummies: How it works, the problems, and a solution
Jeff Szymanski of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) has an article below that could also be aptly named “Social Security 101.” It explains the basics of how Social Security actually works, including the persistent but false belief that the funds paid…
Labor Day, Women, and Social Security: How are they connected?
Americans celebrated Labor Day on Monday, September 3rd. It’s the unofficial end of summer, a day for cookouts and barbecues, the last chance to hit the beach, and of course a day to honor laborers. But, as Lynda Waddington notes in this historical…
Chained CPI: Taking a Look at the (Fuzzy) Math
It’s a not a new concept, but it just keeps coming around for discussion–the shift away from CPI-W for Social Security cost-of-living calculations in favor of a “Chained CPI” approach. As you’ll recall, the logic behind this proposal is that…
COLA Watch: Some Ups and Downs, Maybe?
While some news accounts are predicting Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLAs) in the 3% range for 2019–highest since 2012–others are discussing the potential for a drop in certain Medicare premium rates. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll see…
Watch Out for Social Security Surprises
For those of you looking ahead to retirement and the big step of collecting you Social Security benefits, there are a few basic points you need to be aware of so you don;t encounter some unfortunate surprises when you arrive.…
Reflections on President Trump’s Executive Order on Retirement Savings
As the Labor Day Holiday Weekend arrived, President Trump traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to officially sign his latest Executive Order, “Strengthening Retirement Security in America.” As explained in the numerous media accounts of the event, this presidential directive is aimed…