On this episode of the Ready for Retirement podcast, James discusses the question: Will Social Security run out? In the aftermath of the economic impacts of COVID-19, many people are concerned by the new budget model predictions that purport that the Social Security trust will be depleted sooner than expected. There are many factors to this prediction, a considerable one being the high unemployment rate at this time.

It is important to remember that Social Security was created in 1935. The average life expectancy was 60 years old and Social Security was intended to be a social safety net for those people who lived longer and were unable to work to earn a living wage. The current life expectancy is 79 years old, the birth rate is declining, and 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 every day, but the Social Security system has not changed much to accommodate for these factors.

The short answer is that Social Security will not run out of money, but the longer answer is that while there will always be a flow of money as long as there are people working, the amount of benefits could be drastically reduced unless some things change. A few key areas of changes could be increasing the ages of drawing Social Security benefits, incorporating a means test, raising employment taxes, and increasing or eliminating the wage base.

Finally, in response to the question of if people should consider collecting Social Security earlier than normal to ensure the highest benefit, James says that this is not a compelling enough reason. If you collect Social Security early, you are not only limiting your pre-retirement earnings, but you are also limiting the benefits you can receive. For more information on this topic, listen to Episode 6 of the Ready for Retirement podcast.

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