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Social Security COLA Doesn't Match Inflation
Tweet Share on Facebook August 9, 2010 Comment (5)Last week's annual trustees' report on the financial health of Social Security showed the program did not suffer serious erosion during the past year. Current Social Security resources are sufficient to pay all benefits for the next 27 years. That's hardly the self-sustaining funding model that we'd like to see but it's good news nonetheless. However, it won't stop efforts to "fix" the program. And it won't halt the discussion over the adequacy of the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) with which Social Security tries to keep retirees' benefits from being eroded by inflation.
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Join the Senior Entrepreneurial Stampede
Tweet Share on Facebook August 6, 2010 CommentEven before the Great Recession, older entrepreneurs led the way in new business formations. The trend has continued during the past three years and spans even high-tech businesses once thought the sole turf of twenty somethings holed up in their parents' garages. What's even more noteworthy is that start-ups with older owners are more successful, at least measured by their survival rates.
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A Dozen Big Questions About Aging in America
Tweet Share on Facebook August 4, 2010 Comment (6)The aging of America is well documented. Even the youngest Boomers have been alive for more than 45 years, so their arrival is hardly a recently revealed secret. However, the implications of an aging world are not so frequently discussed or even raised. Governments and institutions at all levels already are overwhelmed with today's firestorms. Asking them to take steps to avoid future problems may seem like wasted effort.
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Digital Dilemmas for Social Security Deposits
Tweet Share on Facebook August 2, 2010 Comment (2)The movement to direct deposit of all Social Security benefits seems inevitable. Already, more than 46 million beneficiaries receive their payments electronically, while nearly 7 million still are paid with paper checks. Direct deposit is a good deal for nearly everyone. Gone are the fears of stolen checks, the demands of taking the check somewhere to be cashed or deposited, and just the general uncertainty of wondering if something has or will happen to your check. It's also a good deal for the government, which saves hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses with electronic deposits.
