Tag: Social Security's Financial Outlook

Social Security sign in a garden

The brief’s key findings are: As policymakers consider restoring balance to Social Security, understanding the reason for the shortfall is important. Specifically, the program’s “pay-as-you-go” approach, which dates back to the late 1930s, makes it expensive relative to a funded system. Paying full benefits to Depression-era workers meant forgoing the opportunity to accumulate more revenu…

Senior man working at laptop at home

The brief’s key findings are: Contrary to media reports, the 2019 Trustees Report shows little change overall: Social Security’s 75-year deficit ticked down from 2.84 percent to 2.78 percent of payroll. Trust fund exhaustion moved out by one year, to 2035, after which payroll taxes still cover about three quarters of promised benefits. This shortfa…