Social Security

(FORUM) Panel Explores Pros, Cons of Hiking Retirement Age
   Raising the retirement age for Social Security recipients has many pros and cons, agrees a July 14 panel on Capitol Hill, sponsored by the Urban Institute. It was the final of three forums sponsored by UI on the future of Social Security.
7/14/10 4:01 PM  read complete story

(COMMENTARY) How Social Security Can Offset Declines in Private Pension Protection
   Here's a well-kept secret: the Social Security Administration today offers one of the best investment options anywhere. This great deal allows individuals to add to the Social Security annuities that they already qualify for at age 62. Since the classic pension plans that used to provide workers with private annuity payments until death are fast disappearing, this option gets more valuable by the day.
6/30/10 1:40 PM  read complete story

(SOCIAL SECURITY) White House Deficit-Reduction Commission Meeting Raises Social Security Concerns
   On the eve of the first meeting of Obama’s new National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, a bi-partisan group established under a White House Executive Order in February, three organizations are launching public education campaigns in response to posturing by commission members over cuts to Social Security.
4/26/10 3:03 PM  read complete story

(SOCIAL SECURITY) Social Security Administration Releases Open Government Plan
   In response to the White House Open Government Directive, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is releasing its Open Government Plan, which includes three online tools to enable more accurate retirement planning: a Spanish-Language Retirement Estimator, and Online Service Enhancement, and an Online Life-Expectancy Calculator.
4/22/10 10:41 AM  read complete story

(REFORM) Social Security Numbers Seen More Troubling than Predicted
   While the Social Security Administration (SSA) touts the surplus of revenue in the program, numbers put out by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) show Social Security began sinking in 2009 when it paid out more benefits than revenues for seven of the first 10 months of the year. This trend, originally predicted to begin in 2016, has arrived early, leaving many to question the fiscal security of the program.
4/13/10 3:41 PM  read complete story

(SURVEY) Americans Want Congress to Protect Social Security At All Costs
   With the approach of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Social Security Act this summer, a National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) survey finds that 88% of Americans believe Social Security is more important than ever, especially for older people who need it the most, even if it means paying higher taxes. Of the nearly 1,500 people polled, 90% want Congress to act within the next two years to ensure Social Security benefits continue.
3/9/10 2:32 PM  read complete story

(SENATE) GAO Letter Report Sets Tone for Upcoming Debate on Social Security Reform
   A just-released letter report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, focuses on options for strengthening Social Security benefits for those people who need them most. The study -- expected to become part of a more comprehensive Senate Special Aging Committee report on Social Security due out next month -- helps frame the challenges lawmakers face as they embark on efforts to reform the Social Security system.
1/12/10 4:29 PM  read complete story

(COLA) Here's Why Social Security Beneficiaries Won't See COLA in 2010
   Even though Aging News Alert warned readers more than two weeks ago, many Social Security beneficiaries are scratching their heads and wondering why the Social Security Administration is not going to include a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in their benefit checks for 2010. The reason for this has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the way the COLA formula was created more than 30 years ago.
10/15/09 11:28 AM  read complete story

(SURVEY) Economic Crisis Seen Driving Support for Social Security Reform
   On the eve of the 74th anniversary of Social Security, nearly nine in 10 (88%) Americans say Social Security is more important than ever as a result of today's economic crisis, and three-quarters of Americans say it is critical to preserve Social Security even if it means that working Americans have to pay higher taxes to do so.
8/14/09 12:09 PM  read complete story