Can You Count On Social Security?

Can You Count On Social Security?

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To date, social Securitys revenues exceed its expenditures. According to the SSA, your benefits will be there for you when you retire. However, they also acknowledge that changes to the present system may be required to make that happen. When Social Security was created in 1935, the average life span was less than 65 years (Source: Social Security Administration, 2010). Today, were living longer, healthier lives the average life span now is 78 years (Source: census Bureau, 2010). While the full retirement age for Social Security purposes has risen too, from 65 to 67, most Americans still spend far more years in retirement drawing Social Security benefits than they did 75 years ago.

On top of longer retirements, were also approaching a huge boom in the number of retirees. Over the next decade, 76 million baby boomers will start retiring; and in about 30 years, there will be nearly twice as many older Americans as there are today. Yet we wont see a corresponding boom in the number of workers. Thats a problem, because Social Security is a pay-as-you-go system todays workers fund todays retirees; so when there are far more retirees than workers, severe imbalances may arise.

Both factors make the congressional Budget office (cbo) responsible for the information and estimates required for the congressional budget process concerned. They have reported that as the [Baby Boom generation] continues to age, growth in the number of Social Security beneficiaries will pick up, and outlays will increase much faster than revenues. We project that Social Security trust funds will be exhausted in 2043.

That doesnt mean that Social Security outlays will cease in 2043 workers will still be contributing to the system but the SSA will only be able to afford a portion of the benefits it originally promised. While congress has failed time and again to agree on a plan to reform Social Security, nearly everyone agrees that Social Security, as it currently stands, is not sustainable. The SSA will have to increase workers contribution percentages, decrease retirees benefits, increase retirement age, or utilizing some combination of all three alternatives.

So, what to do?

You can get a sense of what your Social Security benefit might be by reviewing your annual Social Security statement. Use that statement to project what percentage of your total retirement income Social Security will represent, and then create an action plan to reduce that percentage.

Theres no magic number here, but as a general rule, reducing your reliance on Social Security as far as you can is a positive move. Worst case then, Social Security will be more robust than you had planned, and you will have more retirement income than you had projected.

The best way to approach this action plan to reduce your dependence on Social Security is to diversify your retirement income portfolio with various retirement vehicles. Some popular options to consider include 401(k) plans, iras (both traditional and Roth), work-sponsored pension plans, and fixed-income investments.

About the Author:
Ishan Goraydiya is passionate writer and loves writing about Mobilioil Federal credit union.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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