The Social Security Struggle - Fixing the Retirement System

As with all of the NIF issues guides, three or more approaches are offered for discussion, each of which represents a different point of view.

Problem statement: With the retirement of the first baby boomers just a few years away, fundamental differences remain about how Social Security can be sustained and how it might be changed. It is a national discussion that we can’t afford to put off any longer.

Approach 1:  Reinventing Social Security: The case for personal accounts. The nation needs a fundamentally different form of income protection for retirees emphasizing personal accountability. If we had more freedom to make our own investment decisions, we could build larger nest eggs and achieve greater financial security for the retirement years.

Approach 2:  Reaffirming Social Security’s Promise: A measure of protection. Social Security is a promise made to working Americans and to retirees, and it is a promise we must keep. Many elderly persons are only a step away from financial insecurity. Americans deserve what Social Security was designed to provide: a share-the-risk income protection plan for the retirement years.

Approach 3. Revising Social Security: Rewriting the contract for a new generation. Key features of Social Security reflect the needs and experiences of previous generations, but they do not reflect today’s realities or tomorrow’s. The fourth quarter of life is rapidly being redefined, and programs for retirees need to change accordingly.

Resources for the Forum:

Forum Agenda (Microsoft Word document)

Issue Book - The Social Security Struggle: Fixing the Retirement System Available from NIF.