Investing Social Security Funds in the Stock Market

Investing Social Security Funds in the Stock Market PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
For the time being, Social Security receipts are more than enough to fund current benefits. But beginning in 2017, under current law, benefits are projected to exceed Social Security receipts. At that point, if not before, either benefits will have to be cut, taxes will have to be raised, or the shortfall will have to be made up either by tapping non-Social Security revenues, which would reduce the unified federal budget surplus, or by an increase in federal borrowing. Any current proposal to extend the financial life of Social Security is likely to include increases in taxes, cuts in benefits, or both. In addition to those possibilities, is the notion of allowing beneficiaries to contribute some of their Social Security payments directly into personal accounts. Because equity has historically yielded a higher rate of return than have Treasury securities, it is argued that allowing individuals to invest some of their contributions in the stock market would offset at least some of the effects of either tax increases or benefit cuts in any package of reforms. Between 1926 and 2003, the average annual total rate of return on large corporate stocks was 7.2%, after adjusting for inflation. That was 4.9 percentage points higher than the average real return of 2.3% on long-term government bonds over the same period. But there is substantial variation in rates of return, which diminishes as the holding period grows longer. Even with relatively long holding periods there are still instances of below-zero rates of return. The longest holding period with a below-zero return for stocks was 18 years and 11 months. Although, longer holding periods have historically reduced the volatility of stock returns that does not necessarily mean that the risk associated with holding stocks falls as holding periods lengthen. A recent subject of speculation has been the risk that the retirement of the babyboom generation will coincide with a substantial sell-off of assets. Sometimes referred to as the "asset market meltdown hypothesis," the concern is that as increasing numbers of retirees sell the assets they have accumulated over their working lives in order to continue the lifestyles to which they have become accustomed, asset prices will decline. Theory alone seems insufficient to predict what might happen to asset prices when the baby boom generation begins to retire. There are reasons to believe that they will sell some of their assets, but there are also reasons to believe that those sales will not be so large as to disrupt financial markets or cause a precipitous drop in the prices of assets traded in those markets. This report will not be updated.

Social Security financing : implications of government stock investing for the trust fund, the federal budget, and the economy : report to the Special Committee on Aging, U.S. Senate

Social Security financing : implications of government stock investing for the trust fund, the federal budget, and the economy : report to the Special Committee on Aging, U.S. Senate PDF Author:
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428976922
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Social Security Financing

Social Security Financing PDF Author: United States. General Accounting Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Social security
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Investing Social Security Funds in the Stock Market

Investing Social Security Funds in the Stock Market PDF Author: Brian W Cashell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Privatizing Social Security

Privatizing Social Security PDF Author: Martin Feldstein
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226241823
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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Book Description
This volume represents the most important work to date on one of the pressing policy issues of the moment: the privatization of social security. Although social security is facing enormous fiscal pressure in the face of an aging population, there has been relatively little published on the fundamentals of essential reform through privatization. Privatizing Social Security fills this void by studying the methods and problems involved in shifting from the current system to one based on mandatory saving in individual accounts. "Timely and important. . . . [Privatizing Social Security] presents a forceful case for a radical shift from the existing unfunded, pay-as-you-go single national program to a mandatory funded program with individual savings accounts. . . . An extensive analysis of how a privatized plan would work in the United States is supplemented with the experiences of five other countries that have privatized plans." —Library Journal "[A] high-powered collection of essays by top experts in the field."—Timothy Taylor, Public Interest

Risk Aspects of Investment-Based Social Security Reform

Risk Aspects of Investment-Based Social Security Reform PDF Author: John Y. Campbell
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226092569
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 509

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Book Description
Our current social security system operates on a pay-as-you-go basis; benefits are paid almost entirely out of current revenues. As the ratio of retirees to taxpayers increases, concern about the high costs of providing benefits in a pay-as-you-go system has led economists to explore other options. One involves "prefunding," in which a person's withholdings are invested in financial instruments, such as stocks and bonds, the eventual returns from which would fund his or her retirement. The risks such a system would introduce—such as the volatility in the market prices of investment assets—are the focus of this offering from the NBER. Exploring the issues involved in measuring risk and developing models to reflect the risks of various investment-based systems, economists evaluate the magnitude of the risks that both retirees and taxpayers would assume. The insights that emerge show that the risk is actually moderate relative to the improved return, as well as being balanced by the ability of an investment-based system to adapt to differences in individual preferences and conditions.

The Effects of Investing Social Security Funds in the Stock Market when Fixed Costs Prevent Some Households from Holding Stocks

The Effects of Investing Social Security Funds in the Stock Market when Fixed Costs Prevent Some Households from Holding Stocks PDF Author: Andrew B. Abel
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Pension trusts
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description
With fixed costs of participating in the stock market, consumers with high income will participate in the stock market, but consumers with lower income will not participate. If a fully-funded defined-contribution social security system tries to exploit the equity premium by selling a dollar of bonds per capita and buying a dollar of equity per capita, consumers who save but do not participate in the stock market will increase their consumption, thereby reducing saving and capital accumulation. Calibration of a general equilibrium model indicates that this policy could reduce the aggregate capital stock substantially, by about 50 cents per capita.

The Charles Schwab Guide to Finances After Fifty

The Charles Schwab Guide to Finances After Fifty PDF Author: Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz
Publisher: Crown Currency
ISBN: 0804137374
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
Here at last are the hard-to-find answers to the dizzying array of financial questions plaguing those who are age fifty and older. The financial world is more complex than ever, and people are struggling to make sense of it all. If you’re like most people moving into the phase of life where protecting—as well as growing-- assets is paramount, you’re faced with a number of financial puzzles. Maybe you’re struggling to get your kids through college without drawing down your life’s savings. Perhaps you sense your nest egg is at risk and want to move into safer investments. Maybe you’re contemplating downsizing to a smaller home, but aren’t sure of the financial implications. Possibly, medical expenses have become a bigger drain than you expected and you need help assessing options. Perhaps you’ll shortly be eligible for social security but want to optimize when and how to take it. Whatever your specific financial issue, one thing is certain—your range of choices is vast. As the financial world becomes increasingly complex, what you need is deeply researched advice from professionals whose credentials are impeccable and who prize clarity and straightforwardness over financial mumbo-jumbo. Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and the Schwab team have been helping clients tackle their toughest money issues for decades. Through Carrie’s popular “Ask Carrie” columns, her leadership of the Charles Schwab Foundation, and her work across party lines through two White House administrations and with the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, she has become one of America’s most trusted sources for financial advice. Here, Carrie will not only answer all the questions that keep you up at night, she’ll provide answers to many questions you haven’t considered but should.

Investing in the Private Market

Investing in the Private Market PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. Subcommittee on Social Security
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Brookings Papers on Economic Activity: Spring 2017

Brookings Papers on Economic Activity: Spring 2017 PDF Author: Janice Eberly
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
ISBN: 081573252X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 484

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Book Description
Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (BPEA) provides academic and business economists, government officials, and members of the financial and business communities with timely research on current economic issues.