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COLAs became automatic with the one that became payable on July 1, 1975 and continued to average 8.7% annually from 1975 through 198Then the bottom seemed to fall out. From 1983 through 2009 COLAs averaged 3.1%. From 2010 to Do you see a pattern here? I do. We may never know the full details, but what we do know is that our government economists at the Bureau of Labor Statistics changed the way they measured price changes. The Consumer Price Index Handbook of the Bureau of Labor Statistics contains an extensive list of ongoing changes to their methodology in measuring price change. Since the 1980s the BLS has implemented 30 changes, and many of those changes reduce the measured rate of inflation. That in turn means slower growth in Social Security benefits over time..The Social Security's Trustees annual report, which was prepared before the onset of COVID-19 and subsequent shut down of the economy, forecasts that the Social Security trust funds will be depleted by 203But a number of Social Security experts are beginning to warn that the program could run low much sooner, by as early as the end of this decade..That estimate appears to be one prepared by the Social Security's Chief Actuary who projected in 2003 that a totalization agreement with Mexico would have a negligible long-range cost to Social Security. The Social Security Administration estimated that costs to the U.S. Social Security system would average about 0 million per year over the first five years. In 2003 the Government Accountability Office evaluated that cost estimate and sharply criticized it, saying that "the cost of such an agreement is highly uncertain." The GAO reported that SSA's estimate failed to account for the large number of Mexicans who are or have worked in this country without legal authorization..The "Notch" refers to a disparity in benefits that resulted when Congress changed the Social Security benefit formula in 197The changes affected seniors who became entitled to Social Security just two years later. The group born from 1917 through 1926 are known as "Notch Babies" because they receive lower Social Security benefits than other individuals with similar earnings histories.."8 Lawmakers Arrested At Immigration Rally," Seung Min Kim, Politico, October 8, 201"House Republicans Still Drafting Several More Immigration Bills," David Harrison, CQ Roll Call, October 23, 2013..Advocates who help retirees enroll in these programs say that, even if your income is slightly above the eligibility limits, you might still qualify because certain types of income and assets may not be counted..You outline two troubling problems that we are hearing about with much greater frequency, especially over the past year:.CMS to Save 4.5 Billion Dollars over Ten Years.At what age do you think most people retire? According to the Social Security Administration, the largest group retires at age 62 with reduced benefits! Only 4% wait to start benefits at 70, the age at which they would get the maximum amount. Could the fact that most people file for Social Security benefits so early be simply because they hear so often that they can do so at 62? Does 62 become a distorting anchor on our thinking?