Mark Miller

Social Security Announces a 2.8% Cost-of-Living Increase for Beneficiaries

The Social Security COLA for 2026 is 2.8%. I examined what it means for beneficiaries with varying wealth levels for the NYT. Gift link:

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/b...

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Trump plan would limit disability benefits for older Americans Trump administration officials are considering eliminating age as a factor in deciding whether someone is capable of working.

A former OMB official said the change could mean "750,000 fewer people would receive benefits in the next decade... and 80,000 fewer widows and children would receive benefits due to loss in eligibility of a spouse or parent"

A Meryl Kornfield/Lisa Rein scoop

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

In addition to blocking important enrollment simplifications for the Medicare Savings Programs, the #Medicaid cost shifts to states will likely lead to other cuts affecting low-income people on Medicare including cuts to long-term care especially home- and community-based care.

One way the "beautiful bill" does touch Medicare Millions of poor seniors lost an easier path to help with costs

The OBBBA doesn’t reduce standard Medicare benefits, but it pauses a rule easing the path for low income seniors to get crucial help with costs. Millions will miss out.

open.substack.com/pub/retireme...

Without a doubt.

Social Security turns 90 today, and the program is at a crossroads Financial solvency and customer service crisis both need attention

The very idea of retirement was created 90 years ago today, when FDR signed Social Security into law. So was the era of social insurance. Today the program is at a crossroads.
open.substack.com/pub/retireme...

Retirees, Get Ready to Need Long-Term Care. Here’s What to Know.

My latest for the NYT - the coming long term care collision. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/24/b...

The Bond Market Is Waking Up to the Fiscal Mess in Washington With the U.S. economy close to full capacity, more borrowing adds inflationary pressure, and so could lead the Fed to keep rates higher for longer.

This (gift link)👇
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...

Tracking the Medicaid Provisions in the 2025 Reconciliation Bill | KFF KFF is tracking the Medicaid provisions in the 2025 federal budget bill, including new Medicaid work and verification requirements and a reduction in the expansion match rate for states that use their...

@kff.org has an updated summary of Medicaid provisions in the "big beautiful bill." www.kff.org/tracking-the...

Broken Promises: Republicans’ Budget Reconciliation Bill Would Cut Medicare - Justice in Aging The OBBBA takes direct aim at Medicare, gutting eligibility and restricting access to benefits, while also cutting Medicaid in ways that would harm people who are dually eligible for both programs. Fo...

Medicare was supposed to be left untouched in the budget reconciliation. But that's not the case. Read more from @nataliekean.bsky.social & Julie Carter on how Medicare enrollees will be harmed. And call your lawmakers - the House is set to vote soon! 866-426-2631 justiceinaging.org/broken-promi...

Thread: Latest House GOP reconciliation bill language again makes the draconian #Medicaid cuts harsher. For example, mandatory work requirements now will take effect 12/31/26 instead of 1/1/29 and states have option to implement them earlier (1/x)

Figure 2: Work status for adults receiving Medicaid, 2023

Take away people already working, attending school or caregiving, and vey few Medicaid recipients are left. www.brookings.edu/interactive/...

Trump and GOP’s tax bill would force cuts to Medicare, CBO says Some $500 billion in cuts to Medicare could be avoided if Congress instructs the White House budget office to disregard the reconciliation package’s debt impact.

The plot thickens.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

The Advantage industry already covers more than half of Medicare enrollees, and is projected to cover 2/3 by 2034. @georgejoseph94.bsky.social @theguardian.com

Robert Johnson would be pleased.

Opinion | What Social Security Could Teach DOGE About Efficiency It spends only around 0.5% on overhead, compared with 20% for private insurers.

You want to see government efficiency? Check out the Social Security Administration before Elon and the DOGE bros showed up. They could have learned something...

www.wsj.com/opinion/what...

This thread by @kathleenromig.bsky.social sums up very well why "flat funding" for the Social Security Administration actually is a harmful cut.

Employee cuts at Social Security are leaving remaining workers struggling to keep up Social Security employees are feeling "overwhelmed" and wait times for phone services are up as workforce cuts from the Trump administration are being felt throughout the agency.

Some SSA field offices have lost half of their staff at the same time DOGE is forcing more people to visit the offices to transact business. How's that going to go? www.npr.org/2025/04/26/n...

I guess this December Bezos/NYT interview hasn't aged all that well: "But Mr. Bezos said he believed that Mr. Trump had “grown” over the past eight years. “What I’ve seen so far is he is calmer than he was the first time — more confident, more settled,” he said. www.nytimes.com/2024/12/04/b...

Does anyone think Tesla's fortunes will improve if Musk just gets back to running the company? His toxic personal brand *is* the problem. The only solution left is to merge with another car maker and buy him out. Hello, institutional shareholders?

What leadership looks and sounds like.

Let the resurrections begin!

Immigrants prove they are alive, forcing Social Security to undo death label

Trump's latest Social Security move is chilling Adding immigrants to the "master death file" amounts to weaponization of critical data.

In the newsletter: Weaponizing Social Security data. retirementrevised.substack.com/p/trumps-lat...

How to navigate the chaos at the Social Security Administration Customer service at the Social Security Administration has been bad for years - and now it’s getting worse.

In the newsletter: If the SSA can't take your call or speak with you in person about a benefit claim problem, is that tantamount to a benefit cut? open.substack.com/pub/retireme...

Weekend thoughts on the stock market When the stock market goes through a stomach-churning drop, retirement investors are naturally inclined to want to do something about it.

In the newsletter: a few thoughts for retirement investors following a stomach-churning week in the stock market. open.substack.com/pub/retireme...

Driving the news: Acting commissioner Leland Dudek said the changes in question would usually take two years to implement, but will be made in two weeks instead, the two sources said on condition of anonymity due to fears of retaliation. Dudek also said the changes, happening so fast and with little public understanding, will create opportunities for scammers, one of the sources said. There will be individuals who will be victims of fraud as a result of the changes, Dudek said, according to one attendee. He said in the past Social Security had been too "thoughtful" in considering beneficiaries before making changes.

Leland Dudek, Acting Putz In Charge at Social Security, admits that the rushed cutbacks will, alas, create “opportunities for scammers,” and there will be more “victims of fraud” …via @emilypeck.bsky.social

www.axios.com/2025/03/24/s...

Managing Your Finances in Uncertain Times: Resources for Federal Government Employees Federal government employees are facing unprecedented uncertainty about their careers. Having the information and confidence to make smart money decisions is more important than ever. CFP Board and CE...

Certified Financial Planners board will host a free webinar for federal employees grappling with "uncertainty" in the current environment. www.cfp.net/events/2025/...

Scammers Stole Their Retirement Savings. Then the Tax Bill Arrived. (Gift Article) The victims pulled money out of their retirement accounts. The withdrawals had inflated their taxable income, even though the funds quickly disappeared.

Last year, I started digging into the world of online scams. Here's the latest, which explains how many victims are left with enormous tax bills. The tax deduction that had provided the most relief was narrowed as part of the Republican-led tax overhaul in 2017. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/y...

Ponzi scheme slur

Excellent WaPo reporting on how DOGE is in the drivers seat at SSA and the risk that poses. Also good to see a mainstream publication say this for a change. The Ponzi slur is old as the hills and obviously false. Media almost never refutes.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...