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Financing and Solvency of Social Security

Reform Options for Social Security  / Research Report
April 2008— The most prominent options for improving Social Security’s financial picture are described in this Insight on the Issues, by Alison Shelton of AARP’s Public Policy Institute. The pros and cons of 14 reform options are reviewed, along with estimates of the impact of each option on Social Security’s financial status. (9 pages) (Publication ID: I3)

Social Security: Basic Data  / Research Report
June 2007— How does Social Security affect the incomes of age 65+ Americans? In this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest, Alison Shelton identifies recipients of Social Security benefits by beneficiary status, gender and ethnicity. The report tells how much beneficiaries receive, describes how Social Security is financed, and explains its financial status. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD159)

Social Security and 50+ Workers: A Survey of AARP Florida Members  / Research Report
August 2006— Why do nearly a third of AARP members in Florida continue working at a time when many of their peers are retired? This 2006 survey of 1,089 members finds that maintaining their health insurance, paying out-of-pocket health care costs, and needing income are the leading reasons. (26 pages)

Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 2006 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
May 2006— Projections of the short-term and long-term financial status of the Social Security trust funds from the Trustees' 2006 report are summarized in this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Laurel Beedon and Lisa Southworth. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD137)

The Effects of Investing the Social Security Trust Funds in GNMA Mortgage-Backed Securities  / Research Report
February 2006— How investing Social Security trust fund assets in Government National Mortgage Association mortgage-backed securities (MBS) might affect the fund’s long-term solvency is examined in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Thomas Hungerford. MBS are guaranteed in principal and interest by the federal government but carry a higher yield than U.S. treasury bonds. (55 pages) (Publication ID: 2006-02)

Reforming Social Security: Lessons from Abroad  / Research Report
December 2005— Four nations’ experiences with pension reform involving privatization are examined in papers by international pension experts presented at the May 2005 AARP Public Policy Institute seminar. Authors and countries covered include James Schulz on Australia; Michael Mendelson, Canada; John B. Williamson, Chile; David Blake and John Turner, United Kingdom.

Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 2005 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
May 2006— Projections of the short-term and long-term financial status of the Social Security program from the Trustees' 2005 report are summarized in this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Laurel Beedon, Alison Shelton and Lisa Southworth. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD95R)

Is Financial Risk Adequately Accounted for in Social Security Reform Measures?  / Research Report
February 2005— Most analyses of private accounts funded out of the Social Security payroll tax assume that accounts will earn a rate of return equal to the average market return over some historical period. In this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief, Thomas Hungerford shows how using the constant average rate of return systematically overestimates the account balance at the end of the 40-year period as compared with using actual annual returns. (8 pages) (Publication ID: IB74)

How Earnings and Financial Risk Affect Private Accounts in Social Security Reform  / Research Report
February 2005— When individuals’ actual earnings histories and actual annual rates of return are used in estimating future account accumulations, a wide range of private account performance results. This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Thomas Hungerford finds lower lifetime earners have a 50 percent chance of receiving private account benefits that are below their current law benefit. (12 pages) (Publication ID: IB73)

Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 2004 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
March 2004— Projections of the short-term and long-term financial status of the Social Security program from the Trustees' 2004 report are summarized in this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Laurel Beedon, Alison Shelton and Mitja Ng-Baumhackl. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD95)

Improving Solvency Using the Social Security Benefit Formula  / Research Report
July 2003— How changing the rates and the dollar amounts (bend points) in the current law Social Security benefit calculation formula could affect various groups of beneficiaries and, ultimately, whether or how such changes would affect the goals of Social Security is examined in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Alison Shelton and Laurel Beedon. (15 pages, July 2003) (Publication ID: IB63)

Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 2003 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
March 2003— Projections of the short-term and long-term financial health of the Social Security program from the Trustees' 2003 report are summarized in this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Laurel Beedon and Mitja Ng-Baumhackl. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD86)

Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 2002 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
April 2002— In their 2002 annual report, the Social Security Trustees project the combined trust funds as sufficient to pay full benefits for the next 39 years, until 2041, a three-year improvement over their 2001 report's estimates. An AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Laurel Beedon and Steven R. Gregory (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD68)

Old-Age Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 2001 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
April 2001— Although the trustees project that, without any changes, the combined trust funds are sufficient to pay full benefits until 2037, they urge that anticipated long-range deficits be addressed in a timely way. An AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Laurel Beedon and Steven Gregory. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD58)

Raising Retirement Age: How Much of a Solution to Rising Support Burdens in the Developed World?  / Research Report
June 2000— How high would the retirement age need to be raised in industrial nations to maintain support ratios at the 1995 level? In this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest, Sara Rix highlights some of the difficulties inherent in implementing even small increases. (4 pages) (Publication ID: DD49)

Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 2000 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
April 2000— This AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Laurel Beedon and Charles Ford of the Public Policy Institute summarizes the 2000 Social Security Trustees' Report. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD46)

Social Security Trust Funds: Some Basics  / Fact Sheet
April 1999— This updated AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by Laurel Beedon and Charles Ford includes data from the 1999 Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Trustees' Report. (Publication ID: FS40R)

Old-Age, Survivors And Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 1999 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
April 1999— This two page PPI Data Digest by Laurel Beedon and Charles Ford of the Public Policy Institute summarizes the 1999 Social Security Trustees' Report. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD41)

Old Age Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust Funds: 1998 Trustees' Projections  / Research Report
May 1998— This AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Laurel Beedon provides a synopsis of the 1998 Trustees' report indicators of the financial status of the trust funds: trust fund ratios, annual cost and income rates, and trust fund assets. (2 pages) (Publication ID: DD36)

A Critical Look at Equity Investment in the 1994-1996 Advisory Council on Social Security Recommendations  / Research Report
April 1998— This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Lee Cohen, Laurel Beedon and Carlos Figueiredo describes three approaches to restoring Social Security's long-term solvency and analyses their impacts on individuals. (29 pages) (Publication ID: IB30)