The inflation seniors experience is far more similar to that felt by other Americans than it is different.
Making a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to Social Security benefits might actually be detrimental to retirees, not helpful.
It is time for Congress to adjust the Social Security benefit formula to make sure that neither unintended windfalls nor penalties take place.
Despite all the hype, the health-insurance industry's profit margins remain modest.
Democrats and their allies in the press are complaining about unruly members of the public yelling their opposition to the Obama administration's health plans--but they seem to forget how their own side acts when confronted with a policy it opposes.
Some public pension plans want to hide the truth from taxpayers.
Social Security is the largest spending program of the federal government, the largest tax paid by most workers, and the largest source of income for most retirees. It also faces a significant long-term funding challenge.
The unpredictability of Social Security benefits is just as big a problem for retirement planning as stock losses in a 401(k). Here is how policymakers can address it.
The official scorekeeper for any health reform proposed in Congress has stated the reforms proposed by the administration could increase costs. What to do? Shoot the messenger.
Outrage about the absence this year of a cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security recipients is based on ignorance of the system.
Social Security's costs relative to its tax base will rise by 26 percent over the next two decades. It is badly in need of reform.
The recession has taken a toll on Social Security's finances.
One reform to extend working years and enhance income security in retirement would be to reduce or eliminate the payroll tax for individuals above a given age.
How would personal Social Security accounts have fared in the current market?
The Left's new narrative on entitlements relies on statistical sleight of hand.
The fight for survival by automakers has made them unlikely proponents of government-controlled health care.
The federal government’s long-term budget could bring about a financial crisis that surpasses the current one.
A vital federal program is about to put millions of American pensions at risk.
Just because people are dissatisfied with the Social Security system does not mean they are ready for private accounts.
Progress on fixing the major entitlement programs is possible if the Obama administration works in good faith with congressional Republicans and outside stakeholders.
Many people have recently pointed to the safety and security of Social Security relative to 401(k) plans.
While policymakers should work to strengthen Social Security and private pension savings, talk of a crisis in retirement income preparedness appears premature.
Despite the market turmoil of the past year, personal accounts are still not a bad option to include in Social Security reform.
How Obama’s proposed changes to Social Security take aim at Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision for retirement security.
Social Security and Medicare face significant funding shortfalls, but solutions are often hampered byideology.
Individuals with lower lifetime earnings receive better treatment on average from Social Security, but lifetime earnings area weak predictor of how any one person will be treated by the program.
Recent polling indicates that Americans think workers should have the option to drop out of Social Security but that few people would actually choose to exercise that option if allowed.
Throughout Social Security's history, benefit adequacy has been balanced with equity.
Social Security Insurance eligibility requirements make it more difficult for beneficiaries to work or save.
How much would a payroll tax cut stimulate the economy? Not very much.
Social Security can accomplish intergenerational risk sharing in theory, but maybe not in practice.
Even with the stock market collapse of the past two months, retirees under a hypothetical personal-account model wouldhave significantly increased their totalSocial Securitybenefits.
AEI Online
October 28, 2008
What does the turbulent stock market tell us about Social Security personal accounts?
Barack Obama'stax credit amounts to a radical change in the system.
There are some interesting pension developments in Argentina that shed some light on Social Security policy in the United States.
This article illustrates replacement rates using four measures of preretirement earnings.
What does the turbulent stock market tell us about Social Security personal accounts?
Senator Obama has a component of his tax plan that would introduce significant progressivity into the tax side of Social Security.
Given how most information pertaining to the two presidential candidates' tax plans is presented in the press, it is all but impossible to say much about either fairness or efficiency.
The Congressional Budget Office's report on Social Security financing differs somewhat from the Social Security Trustees'.
A misguided op-ed exaggerates the projected poverty of senior citizens without Social Security.
The retirement of the baby boomers and aging of the population will put pressure on Social Security's finances.
AEI Online
August 8, 2008
While rising health care spending is indeed a pressing issue, discounting population aging leaves out half the problem and ignores half the potential solutions.
Retirees need better information about the Social Security earnings test, and policymakers should consider whether the earnings test makes sense at all.
This paper examines policies to index Social Security taxes or benefits to changes in the ratio of workers to beneficiaries, allowing for auto-correction for changing demographic factors.
By delaying claiming Social Security benefits, a worker effectively "purchases" more of the Social Security annuity.
Bracket creep--the failure of tax brackets to keep pace with rising incomes--means that tax revenues will rise, tax cut or no.
An inflation gap means you may get more than you think--even if benefits are cut. It is a "good" glitch, but it needs fixing.
AEI Online
March 26, 2008
Until recently, Barack Obama was surprisingly responsible regarding Social Security, but he now plans to fix the system's problems exclusively with higher taxes.
Obama has recently changed his plan for dealing with the Social Security deficit.
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