zimmytws/Shutterstock.com

Can You Count On Social Security?

It seems like we’ve been hearing dire predictions about its future forever.

This week, I’m in Ocean City, Maryland, with my husband’s sister and her husband, Joe. They are typical American workers who are approaching retirement, so we spent a little time talking about Social Security.

Joe works for the local government near our hometown near Pittsburgh, as the chief building inspector. He has a public pension and also pays into Social Security. My sister-in-law works for a small business and is saving for retirement in a 401(k) plan (she has no defined benefit pension). She assumed that because many of her relatives had lived in retirement on their Social Security benefits, she’d be able to do the same. She said she had never been very interested in learning more about Social Security and assumed it would be there for them.

Is she right?

Earlier this week, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security held a hearing titled “What Workers Need to Know about Social Security as They Plan for Their Retirement.” The hearing came the day after the release of the 2014 Social Security Trustees Report.

Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson, R-Texas, said in his opening statement: “Unless Congress does its job, full benefits can’t be paid on time beginning in just two years for those receiving disability benefits. Further, when today’s 48- year old workers reach their full retirement age in 2033, they and everyone else receiving retirement and survivor benefits will see a 23 percent benefit cut. Today, nine out of ten seniors age 65 and older receive Social Security benefits, which are a major source of income for most seniors.”

Here are some more details on the program’s future, from the Social Security Administration’s press release on the trustees’ report:

  • The combined trust fund reserves are still growing and will continue to do so through 2019. Beginning in 2020, the cost of the program is projected to exceed income.
  • The projected point at which the combined trust fund reserves will become depleted, if Congress does not act before then, comes in 2033 -- the same as projected last year. At that time, there will be sufficient income coming in to pay 77 percent of scheduled benefits.
  • The projected actuarial deficit over the 75-year long-range period is 2.88 percent of taxable payroll -- 0.16 percentage point larger than in last year's report.

During the hearing, Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Ohio, noted that there will be an $80 billion shortfall in the trust fund in 2014. That will have to be made up by payments from general revenues, adding to the federal budget deficit. He wondered why this was not highlighted in bold in the trustees’ report.

We’ve been hearing dire reports like this since Social Security started sending out personal benefits statements to workers in 1988. We keep being told there’s a crisis, but little has been done to address it.

It’s an issue that matters to more and more federal employees every year. Most of them are now covered by Social Security. It is one of the three tiers of the Federal Employees Retirement System. (The other two are the FERS basic annuity benefit and employees’ Thrift Savings Plan investments.) Employees born after 1966 are going to need to need to save a lot more for their retirement years than their elders if they can expect to endure a 23 percent reduction in Social Security benefits.

Those born before 1966 also will be affected, because the potential changes to Social Security could affect taxes on their wages, cost of living adjustments to benefits and the manner in which benefits are computed -- especially for those who have not yet reached age 62.

If you want to learn more about the role that Social Security will play in your retirement and how to maximize your benefits, you can register for an upcoming webinar series, “7 Secrets of Social Security,” that I am conducting with Micah Shilanski, a certified financial planner. The three-part series will include a bonus track in which we’ll answer your questions.

(Image via zimmytws/Shutterstock.com)

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.