Become a Patron! Life is lived in nominal dollars I wrote last year about the fuzzy thinking I saw surrounding the topic of inflation. Inflation, properly understood, is an economy-wide increase in prices driven by too much money chasing too few goods, not when an early freeze destroys the Florida orange crop and raises the price of orange juice by 20 cents (drink apple juice … [Read more...] about Inflation-proofing your life
social security
Unreduced Social Security spousal and dependent benefits and the family maximum
Become a Patron! Last week I wrote about the way age differences can play an important role in thinking about the timing of Social Security old age benefit claims. Specifically, spouses need to take into account two separate variables: the increase in the primary worker's old age benefit by delaying their old age benefit between ages 62 and 70, and the increase in the … [Read more...] about Unreduced Social Security spousal and dependent benefits and the family maximum
The spooky effects of age differences on Social Security benefits
Become a Patron! I was skimming one of the interminable posts over at Michael Kitces's Nerd's Eye View blog by Jeff Levine and was struck by his description of a very strange feature of the Social Security spousal benefit calculation. To spare you from trudging through the post, there are three curious features of Social Security benefits to consider: A worker's old age … [Read more...] about The spooky effects of age differences on Social Security benefits
Wage replacement is an important measurement, whether or not it’s good policy
Become a Patron! I've written before about the FAMILY Act, the leading Democratic initiative in the House and Senate to create a nationwide system of paid family and medical leave like that enjoyed by citizens of virtually every other country in the world. One of the things advocates say when describing the FAMILY Act is that it's based on a "social insurance model." This … [Read more...] about Wage replacement is an important measurement, whether or not it’s good policy
Biden is wrong about Social Security, but so is everybody else
Become a Patron! In a bit of a surprising turn in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses, former Vice President and Delaware Senator Joe Biden has finally come under sustained criticism for his career-long advocacy for cuts to Social Security. I'm not sure why his rivals didn't elevate this criticism earlier, but it's obviously correct: he has advocated and voted for cuts to … [Read more...] about Biden is wrong about Social Security, but so is everybody else