Tag: Social Security Progressivity

Group of senior men in a stairwell

Each year, the Social Security actuaries issue a report on the internal real rate of return that individuals and married couples would have to earn on their payroll tax contributions in order to cover their promised disability and retirement benefits. These numbers, which are based on hypothetical earners, show how returns vary by earnings levels, over time,…

Social Security Card: Senior woman holding card in hand on white background

The brief’s key findings are: While Americans are generally living longer, the gains have been unequal; those with higher socioeconomic status (SES) have substantially longer lifespans. This growing mortality gap works against Social Security’s progressive benefit design, as higher-SES individuals end up getting their benefits for a longer period. As a result, studies find that the mortality…