Social Security and its future is commonly discussed here, and rightly so. Yesterday's newspaper included an op-ed piece credited to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Evidently, a group of 8 senators (3 democrats, 4 republicans, 1 independent) have put forth something called the Promise Act. This proposal "directs the Social Security Advisory Board to hold public meetings intended to gather input about possible reforms to fortify SS and then develop legislation for both House and Senate consideration". It also notes "the purpose is to get members on the record one way or the other as older adults face threatened benefit cuts if structural deficiencies of SS aren't addressed". Since all I know about the Promise Act is based on a relatively short op-ed, I need to do some further reading about it. I just believe that for a long time, there has been little or no information in the news about legislative activity to keep SS alive and well. So, this Promise Act may be the start of something good. UPDATE: please understand I am referring to The PROMISE Act (Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone Act) rather than the similarly named American Dream and Promise Act.
The day after I retired, my neighbor, who owns a funeral home, asked me what I was going to do with all my time. I told him a few things I planned to do and he asked me to consider doing part-time work for the funeral home. So, I now work visitations and funerals, drive the hearse, and other odd jobs for the funeral home. My last school administration position was as director of finance and human resources. I tell people now that I am still in human resources, just a different type...
As a retired career-long educator from the early 1980's to 2020, I observed the American education system transition to a focus on ever-increasing testing, largely coming from federal initiatives such as "A Nation at Risk" and "No Child Left Behind". As a result, increased amounts of time that students spend in a classroom are devoted to preparing to do well on the next standardized test and significantly less time is available for teachers to work with students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Preparing for a test is not the same as learning new concepts. Our state commissioner of education, commenting probably 25 years ago about increased testing, said something to the effect of: "I grew up on a farm. We didn't weigh our cattle more to see if they were gaining weight; we fed them more". I believe that is a very fitting analogy.
Great article, John! Seeing the examples and how each of the components affects the outcome really helps to see the actual effect. I will get busy doing some calculations following the procedure you outlined.
Comments
Social Security and its future is commonly discussed here, and rightly so. Yesterday's newspaper included an op-ed piece credited to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Evidently, a group of 8 senators (3 democrats, 4 republicans, 1 independent) have put forth something called the Promise Act. This proposal "directs the Social Security Advisory Board to hold public meetings intended to gather input about possible reforms to fortify SS and then develop legislation for both House and Senate consideration". It also notes "the purpose is to get members on the record one way or the other as older adults face threatened benefit cuts if structural deficiencies of SS aren't addressed". Since all I know about the Promise Act is based on a relatively short op-ed, I need to do some further reading about it. I just believe that for a long time, there has been little or no information in the news about legislative activity to keep SS alive and well. So, this Promise Act may be the start of something good. UPDATE: please understand I am referring to The PROMISE Act (Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone Act) rather than the similarly named American Dream and Promise Act.
Post: Short term and long term Social Security planning
Link to comment from August 5, 2026
The day after I retired, my neighbor, who owns a funeral home, asked me what I was going to do with all my time. I told him a few things I planned to do and he asked me to consider doing part-time work for the funeral home. So, I now work visitations and funerals, drive the hearse, and other odd jobs for the funeral home. My last school administration position was as director of finance and human resources. I tell people now that I am still in human resources, just a different type...
Post: How Did You Find Paid Work After Retiring from Your Primary Career?
Link to comment from July 31, 2026
And the $2K cap is only on certain drugs!
Post: 2025 and Medicare Rx
Link to comment from July 29, 2026
As a retired career-long educator from the early 1980's to 2020, I observed the American education system transition to a focus on ever-increasing testing, largely coming from federal initiatives such as "A Nation at Risk" and "No Child Left Behind". As a result, increased amounts of time that students spend in a classroom are devoted to preparing to do well on the next standardized test and significantly less time is available for teachers to work with students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Preparing for a test is not the same as learning new concepts. Our state commissioner of education, commenting probably 25 years ago about increased testing, said something to the effect of: "I grew up on a farm. We didn't weigh our cattle more to see if they were gaining weight; we fed them more". I believe that is a very fitting analogy.
Post: Degrees of Doubt: When Higher Education Misses the Mark
Link to comment from July 26, 2026
Great article, John! Seeing the examples and how each of the components affects the outcome really helps to see the actual effect. I will get busy doing some calculations following the procedure you outlined.
Post: Widow Tax
Link to comment from July 25, 2026
Great article, and his website looks interesting. Thanks for sharing!
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Link to comment from July 22, 2026
Won't pass my GT350!
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Link to comment from July 20, 2026
Dennis: that is a great set of guidelines for anyone, particularly those entering "adulthood". I will save this and share with my grandchildren!
Post: Lessons on the Ground
Link to comment from July 18, 2026
This article is behind a paywall...
Post: Many seniors think we paid for our Social Security benefits based on the FICA taxes we paid. Let’s dispel that myth- we didn’t
Link to comment from July 17, 2026
The things we do, willingly, for our grandchildren!
Post: The Paradox of Wealth
Link to comment from July 17, 2026