The system, however, isn't estimated to be able to pay scheduled benefits in full for that long. The Social Security Trustees estimate that the Trust Funds will become fully insolvent by the end of 203When Trustees use the term insolvent that means the point at which all the extra revenues that were borrowed, now totaling more than .6 trillion, have run out, and there are no more IOUs held by the Trust Fund. Some people believe that, when the Trust Funds are exhausted, Social Security will be completely unable to pay benefits. But that's not the case..The data certainly suggests this is the case. The years in which inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Workers has been the highest, the difference in the chained CPI was the greatest. The average difference between the CPI-W and the chained CPI is 0.3 tenths of a percentage point. But in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina sent gas prices through the roof, the CPI-W paid a COLA of 4.1% the following year. The chained CPI would only have paid 3.4% - a difference of 0.7 tenths of a percentage point. In 2008 the CPI-W paid a COLA of 5.8% the following year. The chained CPI would have only paid 5.2%, a difference of 0.6 tenths of a percentage point..The threat among seniors of going without nourishing meals, especially those who are older and depend on Social Security for the majority of their income, like many Notch Babies, is very real. In addition to the cognitive and health problems that interfere with good nutrition as seniors age, the national median income of people over 65 is only ,75About one-in-seven seniors has little money left over for food after paying basic monthly expenses like housing, utility, and healthcare costs..The Senior Citizens League continues to monitor the CBO's tax proposal. TSCL supports bills that would reduce the taxation of Social Security benefits while making Social Security payroll taxes more equitable through ensuring that all workers pay their fair share of taxes on all earnings..The U.S. currently has 21 Social Security Totalization Agreements in effect with other nations. The agreements allow workers who split their careers working in two countries to avoid double taxation on the same work. In addition, workers are allowed to combine earnings from both countries in order to qualify for Social Security benefits under one or both systems. The agreement with Mexico presumably would have a very different impact, however, for a number of reasons, including the fact that no other totalization agreement is with a country where so many of its citizens are living and working in our country illegally..People frequently overestimate the amount of money they will receive from Social Security benefits. Lifespans are growing longer, and ideally you will want your savings to last over the length of your retirement that could be as much as 25 to 30 years long. At the same time life expectancy is rising, so are healthcare costs. If you talk to folks who have already retired, you will learn that almost 6-in-10 retirees will report that healthcare costs take one-fourth to one-third of their Social Security benefits..TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 1902, S. 915, H.R. 4841, and S. 1600, and we were pleased to see support grow for each of them this week. For more information, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website..retirement benefits later on when you stop working. If you've delayed starting.Get an annual check up. Case in point: I recently helped a
