Social Security

Questions and Answers About Personal Social Security Retirement Accounts

Between now and 2015 Social Security will accumulate large surpluses. Social Security reform proposals before Congress would utilize these surpluses by allowing workers to invest 2 percentage points o…
The Nightmare in Our Future - 2001 Update

Social Security and Medicare are in trouble. By 2016, both programs will begin paying out more in benefits than they receive in payroll taxes. And the government will no longer be able to maintain ful…
Saving the Surplus

A surplus is political manna, enabling politicians to fund their favorite programs.  The fundamental choice is between using the Social Security surpluses to reduce the federal debt and using them to…
Social Security and Education

This paper considers Social Security as an investment for different classes of workers based on their level of education. Why education, rather than income? Everyone's income will vary a lot over the…
The Power of Compounding and Social Security

Albert Einstein called it the greatest mathematical discovery of all time. Benjamin Franklin supposedly said it was the eighth wonder of the world. MasterCard, Visa and American Express use it - with…
Social Security and Race

In general, older generations are receiving reasonable rates of return from Social Security, especially among couples with dependent spouses.  But almost all future retirees will, on the average, have…
Social Security: Your Taxes, Your Benefits, Some Alternatives

Whether you're a steelworker or a waitress, a bus driver or an accountant, a large part of your earnings goes to the Social Security payroll tax every pay period. If you work for somebody else, part o…
Facts about Social Security

Social Security reform has emerged as one of the defining issues of the 2000 election. Proposals to "save" Social Security have fueled an onslaught of criticism and praise of the current system - some…