Podcasts about strengthen social security

Did you know that all of the growth in federal spending as a percentage of the national income is due to the growth of "uncontrollables"? In this interview, we discuss the following: ►What are "uncontrollables"? Why are they 'mandatory'? ►What are entitlements? How are they treated differently than discretionary budget spending? ►What was the Budget Resolution Process that was introduced in the 1970s? ►How did Pres. Cleveland, Roosevelt (FDR), Reagan and Clinton control government budget? ►Which president reduced our entitlement programs the most? ►What was FDR's biggest mistake, the consequences of which still impacts us? ►What are the 3 requirements for reducing the budget deficit? ►How would my guest advise a U.S. president in reducing our budget deficit?

We are happy to welcome John Cogan, a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, to The Hamilton Review Podcast! In this conversation, John and Dr. Bob talk about the national debt crisis impacting our country. Don't miss this important discussion! John F. Cogan is the Leonard and Shirley Ely Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. His research is focused on U.S. budget and fiscal policy, federal entitlement programs, and health care.  He has published widely in professional journals in both economics and political science.  His book, The High Cost of Good Intentions (2017) is the recipient of the 2018 Hayek Prize.  The book traces the history of U.S. federal entitlement programs from the Revolutionary War to modern times.  His previous books include Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: Five Steps to a Better Health Care System, coauthored with Glenn Hubbard and Daniel Kessler, and The Budget Puzzle, (with Timothy Muris and Allen Schick).   At Stanford, he was faculty member in the Public Policy program and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). He also served on the faculty advisory boards for the Stanford-in-Washington campus and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. He is a recipient of the Stanford-in-Government's Distinguished Service Award and the Stanford Review's Best Undergraduate Teaching Award.  Cogan has devoted a considerable part of his career to public service. He served under President Ronald Reagan as assistant secretary for policy in the U.S. Department of Labor from 1981 to 1983, as associate director in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from 1983 to 1985, and as Deputy (OMB) Director in 1988-89.  His responsibilities included developing and reviewing Reagan Administration policies in the areas of health care, Social Security, disability, welfare, and employment training.  Cogan has served on numerous congressional, presidential, and California state advisory commissions. At the federal level, he has served on President George W. Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security, the U.S. Bipartisan Commission on Health Care (the Pepper Commission), the Social Security Notch Commission, the National Academy of Sciences' Panel on Poverty and Family Assistance, and the Congressional Budget Office's Board of Economic Advisors. At the state level, he has served on the California State Commission on the 21st Century Economy and the California Public Employee Post-Employment Benefits Commission.    Cogan has also served on numerous boards of directors: Gilead Sciences Inc as its Lead Independent Director, the Charles Schwab Family of Funds as the Chairman of its Governance Committee, Venture Lending and Leasing Inc., Monaco Coach Corp, and Sacred Heart Schools in Atherton CA.  Cogan received his A.B. in 1969 and his Ph.D. in 1976 from the University of California at Los Angeles, both in economics.  He received his M.A. in Economics from California State University at Long Beach in 1970.  He was an associate economist at the RAND Corporation from 1975 to 1980. In 1979, Cogan was appointed a national fellow at the Hoover Institution; in 1980 he was appointed a senior research fellow; and in 1984 he became a senior fellow.   How to contact Dr. Bob: Dr. Bob on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChztMVtPCLJkiXvv7H5tpDQ Dr. Bob on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drroberthamilton/ Dr. Bob on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.hamilton

Social Security Legend Nancy Altman Shares Her 50 years + Of Experience With The Program. Welcome to episode #23 of Social Security: Answers From The Experts with Martha Shedden. In this episode Martha sits down with Nancy Altman and they deliver a thorough breakdown of how Social Security works, why it's so important, and what's happening politically around it. Nancy has a forty-five year background in the areas of Social Security and private pensions. She is the president of Social Security Works and chair of the Strengthen Social Security coalition. She is also the author of The Battle for Social Security: From FDR's Vision to Bush's Gamble as well as The Truth About Social Security: The Founders' Words Refute Revisionist History, Zombie Lies, and Common Misunderstandings. She is also the co-author on a few other books that address Social Security issues and concerns.   Here is what to expect on this week's show: A look at how Nancy became interested in Social Security topics, enough to make it her career. Information about the effects of the 1983 Social Security amendments and Nancy's influence upon them. A look at who wants us to believe that Social Security will collapse and why (referring to the billionaire funded campaign behind this). A look at the most common lies and misunderstandings about Social Security (and specifically it's effect on the national deficit). Why is it so hard for lawmakers to get anything passed as relates to Social Security? What exactly is FICA (the Federal Insurance Contributions Act) and why is it so important? Multiple looks at the history of Social Security, it's surpluses, and how it came to be such an efficient and useful tool for American society. What changes should happen for lower and middle class paychecks and how does that affect Social Security? A look at the state by state reports that Nancy puts out at Social Security Works. What would FDR think about the way we care for and think about Social Security as a society today?     Relevant Links: https://socialsecurityworks.org/   Connect with Nancy & Social Security Works: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-altman-280b313a/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/wearesocialsecurity Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialsecurityworks/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SSWorks     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert "Bob" Pozen is a highly-accomplished figure in the worlds of business, education, and government. He is currently a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and senior lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Business, served as an executive at MSF Investment Management and Fidelity Investments and Fidelity Management and Research Company, and was a member of President George W. Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security, among many other roles. He is also an executive coach and co-author of "Remote, Inc.: How to Thrive at Work . . . Wherever You Are," which is available everywhere books are sold including Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Inc-Thrive-Work-Wherever/dp/0063079372Recently, Mr. Pozen selected UA's Manderson Graduate School of Business as a recipient of a gift to establish the Robert C. Pozen Scholars Diversity Fund, which will help grow diversity within the school's MBA program. Learn more about the impact of Mr. Pozen's gift: https://culverhouse.ua.edu/news/2021/04/gift-to-help-transform-mba-student-diversity/For more information about the Culverhouse College of Business visit our website https://culverhouse.ua.edu.Stay up to date with the collegeFacebook: https://facebook.com/culverhouseuaTwitter: https://twitter.com/culverhouseuaInstagram: https://instagram.com/culverhouseuaLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/school/culverhouse-college-of-business

We’ve been exploring the state of retirement in the United States on The Long View. Last week, we talked with progressive labor economist Teresa Ghilarducci. On this week’s episode, we chatted with Andrew Biggs, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He is more sanguine about the state of retirement in the U.S., though he is also in favor of some reforms. Andrew is an expert on Social Security reform, state and local government pensions, and public sector pay and benefits. Before joining AEI, Biggs was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration, where he oversaw the agency's policy research efforts. In 2005, as an associate director of the White House National Economic Council, he worked on Social Security reform. In 2001, he joined the staff of then-President George W. Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security. He holds a bachelor's degree from Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, master's degrees from Cambridge University and the University of London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.BackgroundBioThe American Enterprise InstituteState of Retirement in the U.S. The Model of Income in the Near Term (MINT)National Retirement Risk Index“Social Security Replacement Rates and Other Benefit Measures: An In-Depth Analysis,” Congressional Budget Office, cbo.gov, April 2019.“How Do Children Affect the Need to Save for Retirement?” by Andrew Biggs, aei.org, Dec. 16, 2019.“Two Decades Ago, Progressives Warned of a Retirement Crisis. It Didn’t Happen,” by Andrew Biggs, forbes.com, May 29, 2020.“Opinion: Here’s Some Good News for Parents Struggling to Save Enough for Retirement,” by Andrew Biggs, marketwatch.com, Jan. 26, 2020.“Improving the Measurement of Retirement Income of the Aged Population,” by Irena Dushi and Brad Trenkamp, ssa.gov, January 2021. “At Last, Some Action on Misleading Retirement Income Statistics,” by Andrew Biggs, aei.org, April 29, 2021.Social Security“Status of the Social Security and Medicare Programs: A Summary of the 2020 Annual Reports,” ssa.gov. “Obama Appoints Social Security Critic to Fix Puerto Rico’s Budget,” by David Dayen, theintercept.com, Aug. 31, 2016. “Social Security Benefits Aren’t Earned If You Didn’t Pay for Them,” by Andrew Biggs, forbes.com, March 12, 2020.“Americans Want to Own Their Retirement, not Expand Social Security,” by Andrew Biggs, realclearmarkets.com, June 19, 2020.“Factcheck: Do 40% of Retirees Rely on Social Security for Their Entire Income?” by Andrew Biggs, forbes.com, Jan. 27, 2020.“PWBM Budget Contest: A Flat Benefit for Social Security,” by Andrew Biggs, budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu, Jan. 26, 2021. “Social Security Reform Can Boost the Economy--or Hold it Back,” Andrew Biggs, Washingtonexaminer.com, March 26, 2021.Retirement Savings and DecumulationThrift Savings Plan“How Generous Are Federal Employee Pensions?” by Andrew Biggs, aei.org, Sept. 30, 2011.“Can Retirement Saving Increase Your Debt?” by Andrew Biggs, forbes.com, Jan. 8, 2018.“How Hard Should We Push the Poor to Save for Retirement?” by Andrew Biggs, aei.org, May 6, 2019.“Opinion: Stop Pushing Poor People to Save More for Retirement,” by Andrew Biggs, marketwatch.com, Sept. 12, 2019.“Factcheck: Will Half of Americans Over 55 Retire Poor?” by Andrew Biggs, forbes.com, Oct. 8, 2020.“Follow the Facts: Employer-Based Retirement Savings Are Stronger Than Ever,” by Andrew Biggs, forbes.com, Aug. 21. 2020. “Opinion: Now That Annuities Can Be Part of Your 401(k), Here’s How to Make Them More Palatable,” by Andrew Biggs, marketwatch.com, Jan. 11, 2020.

The Social Security trust fund has been paying out benefits using only the fund’s interest.  That will change in 2021, when the fund itself will start being tapped to cover benefits. And by 2033, the trust fund is expected to be depleted — three years sooner than previously anticipated. The pandemic is to blame. Not only are millions of Americans unemployed, which means fewer payroll taxes, but it’s possible many of those who are unemployed will apply for Social Security benefits as soon as they are eligible, rather than continue to look for work.  President-elect Joe Biden has promised to shore up Social Security — partly by increasing payroll taxes on Americans earning more than $400,000 a year. But even that would only protect the safety net for an additional five years.  Is there hope? MPR News senior economics contributor Chris Farrell spoke with two Social Security experts about what else a Biden administration might do — and how it could affect you. Guests: Nancy Altman is president of Social Security Works and chair of the Strengthen Social Security coalition. Mark Miller is a journalist, author and podcaster who is a nationally-recognized expert on trends in retirement and aging. Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS

Welcome back to another year and another decade of the 401(k) Fridays Podcast! Sorry for the delay in getting new episodes out, had some last minute scheduling challenges along with sickness that got us off track. Don’t fear though, we are back and ready for an exciting 2020! To kick things off, I am excited to welcome back Andrew Biggs, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute to the podcast. As a retirement policy expert and researcher he brings a sober perspective of how our private workplace retirement plan system is really doing. During our conversation we hit on why there is so much focus on how 401(k) plans are broken, data on how current retirees are doing, somethings to future retirees can expect and much more.  Coming up on the podcast we welcome back a fan favorite Jerry Schlichter, the plaintiffs attorney who has shaped retirement plan litigation, Bob Holcomb of Empower to talk in more detail about the new SECURE Act and Rob Arnott of Research Affiliates to discuss what he sees coming for the markets in the near and not so near term. Exciting stuff, please be sure to share with anyone you think could benefit from listening.  Guest Bio Andrew G. Biggs is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies Social Security reform, state and local government pensions, and public sector pay and benefits. Before joining AEI, Biggs was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he oversaw SSA’s policy research efforts. In 2005, as an associate director of the White House National Economic Council, he worked on Social Security reform. In 2001, he joined the staff of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Biggs has been interviewed on radio and television as an expert on retirement issues and on public vs. private sector compensation. He has published widely in academic publications as well as in daily newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He has also testified before Congress on numerous occasions. In 2013, the Society of Actuaries appointed Biggs co-vice chair of a blue ribbon panel tasked with analyzing the causes of underfunding in public pension plans and how governments can securely fund plans in the future. In 2014, Institutional Investor Magazine named him one of the 40 most influential people in the retirement world. In 2016, he was appointed by President Obama to be a member of the financial control board overseeing reforms to Puerto Rico’s budget and the restructuring of the island’s debts. Biggs holds a bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, master’s degrees from Cambridge University and the University of London, and a PhD from the London School of Economics. 401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over 175 prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode each Friday!

Read Dr. Biggs' article in The Hill:https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/448431-401ks-can-fill-the-pension-gap Andrew G. Biggs is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies Social Security reform, state and local government pensions, and public sector pay and benefits. Before joining AEI, Biggs was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he oversaw SSA’s policy research efforts. In 2005, as an associate director of the White House National Economic Council, he worked on Social Security reform. In 2001, he joined the staff of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Biggs has been interviewed on radio and television as an expert on retirement issues and on public vs. private sector compensation. He has published widely in academic publications as well as in daily newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He has also testified before Congress on numerous occasions. In 2013, the Society of Actuaries appointed Biggs co-vice chair of a blue ribbon panel tasked with analyzing the causes of underfunding in public pension plans and how governments can securely fund plans in the future. In 2014, Institutional Investor Magazine named him one of the 40 most influential people in the retirement world. In 2016, he was appointed by President Obama to be a member of the financial control board overseeing reforms to Puerto Rico’s budget and the restructuring of the island’s debts. Learn more about the Show-Me Institute: https://showmeinstitute.org/ The Show-Me Institute Podcast is produced by Show-Me Opportunity

You know I’ve been on a kick lately for ways we older people can economize and make the most of our money, and today’s show digs into the question: How can the government help?   Yeah, yeah, I know the old joke: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help. Ronald Reagan said those were the nine most terrifying words in the English language.   But are they really? At age 62, I am already looking forward to a little help from Medicare and especially, Social Security. I mean, after all, a good bit was taken out of my paycheck over the years to pay for those programs, so why shouldn’t I get my money back?   Well, it turns out there is more than one answer to that question, and here to talk about one side of the debate on Social Security is Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works and chair of the Strengthen Social Security coalition.      Ms. Altman has a forty-year background in the areas of Social Security and private pensions. She was appointed by Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi to sit on the seven-personSocial Security Advisory Board -- a bipartisan, independent federal government agency that advises the President, Congress, and the Commissioner of Social Security.   Ms. Altman is the author of The Battle for Social Security: From FDR’s Vision to Bush’s Gamble, and The Truth About Social Security: The Founders’ Words Refute Revisionist History, Zombie Lies, and Common Misunderstandings. She is also co-author of Social Security Works! Why Social Security Isn’t Going Broke and How Expanding It Will Help Us All.    Ms. Altman was on the faculty of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and taught courses on private pensions and Social Security at the Harvard Law School. She was also Alan Greenspan’s assistant during the years he led the developed the 1983 Social Security amendments.   I’m exceedingly fortunate to have Nancy on the show, because she has shared her Social Security expertise on numerous other television and radio shows, including PBS NewsHour, MSNBC, and FOX News. She has published op-eds in dozens of newspapers including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today.   So for some expertise and valuable insights on a program that affects every American, please welcome Ms. Nancy J. Altman to Dance Past Sunset.

Today we take a little detour from talking about the usual 401(k) or workplace retirement plan topics and focus on the challenge for many people around the country who are gainfully employed but don’t have access to a retirement plan at work.  Personally, when I first heard some of the stats we discuss today they were surprising to me.  I have two guests which both shared great perspective today, Lisa Massena, the Executive Director of OregonSaves the first state retirement plan to go live and Andrew Biggs, a resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who has a wealth of data and research about retirement savings at his finger tips.  As hopefully you have heard in prior episodes when I have two guests on that usually means they are not always going to agree on everything.  Our conversation starts with a conversation around the data, what options individuals who don’t have access to a retirement plan at work have today and how the conversation will evolve in the future.  With Lisa here, we also spend some time talking about how state retirement plans factor into the coverage conversation.  She shares Oregon’s experience, early results and reactions after their launch in late 2017.  Good stuff and I hope you take as much away from our conversation as I did.    Last thing, we had a little challenge with Andrew’s connection, you can hear everything he says but it is a little scratch, just a heads up.  Technology is a great thing until it isn’t! Guest Bios Lisa Massena, Executive Director, OregonSaves - Ms. Massena joined OregonSaves as its first Executive Director in September of 2015. With its Board and a strong team of internal and external collaborators, Massena helped design and launch the innovative retirement savings program that, when fully implemented, is expected to be available to over 1 million Oregonians who currently do not have access to retirement savings at work.  A native of the Northwest, Ms. Massena began her career in Oregon focused on investment and retirement solutions for employers and individuals, co-founding an investment consultancy in 1991 that specialized in defined contribution plans. When the internet beckoned, she joined a startup firm in San Francisco providing online portfolio advice for 401(k) savers. In 2001 Massena was recruited to State Street Corp. where from San Francisco and Boston she led regional, Americas and global teams providing investment analytics services to institutional clients. She earned a B.A. from Portland State University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.  Andrew G. Biggs is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies Social Security reform, state and local government pensions, and public sector pay and benefits. Before joining AEI, Biggs was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he oversaw SSA’s policy research efforts. In 2005, as an associate director of the White House National Economic Council, he worked on Social Security reform. In 2001, he joined the staff of the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Biggs has been interviewed on radio and television as an expert on retirement issues and on public vs. private sector compensation. He has published widely in academic publications as well as in daily newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. He has also testified before Congress on numerous occasions. In 2013, the Society of Actuaries appointed Biggs co-vice chair of a blue ribbon panel tasked with analyzing the causes of underfunding in public pension plans and how governments can securely fund plans in the future. In 2014, Institutional Investor Magazine named him one of the 40 most influential people in the retirement world. In 2016, he was appointed by President Obama to be a member of the financial control board overseeing reforms to Puerto Rico’s budget and the restructuring of the island’s debts. Biggs holds a bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, master’s degrees from Cambridge University and the University of London, and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. 401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over one hundred prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode each Friday!

Bob Pozen is currently a Senior Lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. And he is a former President of Fidelity Investments and Former Executive Chair of MFS Investment Management. Bob has put his experience into action in several ways. He’s written Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours. Bob served on President Bush’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security, where he developed a progressive plan to make the system solvent. He was Secretary of Economic Affairs for Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. And in 2007 he was chairman of the SEC's Committee to Improve Financial Reporting. Stew and Bob talk about how we can all be more productive, more efficient, and more mindful with our time. They talk about ways to set small and achievable goal posts for larger long-term goals. Bob shares his wisdom and ideas for how to make meetings more productive, how to manage the email deluge, and how to talk with your boss to get more flexibility in accomplishing your mutual goals. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recorded on October 24, 2017 How old are entitlement programs in the United States? Entitlement programs are as old as the Republic, according to John Cogan, former deputy director of the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and a Hoover Institution senior fellow. Cogan joins Peter Robinson to discuss his latest book, The High Cost of Good Intentions,on the necessity for entitlement reform in the United States. Currently there are a bevy of entitlement programs in the United States, each costing a large percentage of the federal budget each year. These programs are open-ended and hard to estimate into the budget because people with the average number of benefits vary greatly from year to year. These programs have become complex and bloated over the many years since they’ve been instated and are in dire need of reform. According to John Cogan, entitlement programs such as pensions, Medicaid, and Social Security have been a part of US history since the Revolutionary War when Congress first created pensions for all the soldiers who had served the Republic during the war. Congress then went on to expand entitlement programs after the Civil War to include soldiers who had fought in the war. Entitlements remained restricted to only those who had served the Republic until the New Deal when entitlements were extended to all citizens above a certain age (Social Security). This was the first time that entitlements were given to citizens who had not served. This was also the first time that entitlements were granted to everyone until the end of time. Additional Resources • Blueprint for America: Entitlements and the Budget • Pension Pursuit • The High Cost of Good Intentions: A History of US Federal Entitlement Programs • America the Fixer Upper • Finding the Money for America the Fixer Upper About John Cogan John Cogan is the Leonard and Shirley Ely Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a faculty member in the Public Policy Program at Stanford University. Cogan is an expert in domestic policy. His current research is focused on US budget and fiscal policy, federal entitlement programs, and health care. He has published widely in professional journals in both economics and political science. His latest book, The High Cost of Good Intentions: A History of US Federal Entitlement Programs was published in September 2017. The book traces the history of US federal entitlement programs from the Revolutionary War to modern times. His previous books include Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: Five Steps to a Better Health Care System, coauthored with Glenn Hubbard and Daniel Kessler, and The Budget Puzzle (with Timothy Muris and Allen Schick). Cogan has devoted a considerable part of his career to public service. He served as assistant secretary for policy in the US Department of Labor from 1981 to 1983. From 1983 to 1985 he served as associate director in the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and was appointed deputy director in 1988. His responsibilities included developing and reviewing all health, housing, education, and employment training programs and policies. Cogan has served on numerous congressional, presidential, and California state advisory commissions. He served on the California State Commission on the 21st Century Economy and the California Public Employee Post-Employment Benefits Commission. He has served on President George W. Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security, the US Bipartisan Commission on Health Care (the Pepper Commission), the Social Security Notch Commission, and the National Academy of Sciences' Panel on Poverty and Family Assistance. Cogan received his AB in 1969 and his PhD in 1976 from the University of California at Los Angeles, both in economics. He received his MA in economics from California State University at Long Beach in 1970. He was an associate economist at the Rand Corporation from 1975 to 1980. In 1979 Cogan was appointed a national fellow at the Hoover Institution, in 1980 he was appointed a senior research fellow, and in 1984 he became a senior fellow. (Playing time: 45:59)

Ah the good old days, when life was simpler, people retired with pension plans, social security was fully funded and you spent your retirement golden years in relative financial security.  Fast forward to today, there is a perception that our retirement system is broken, and we are either already in or headed for a dramatic retirement crisis.  Much of the blame for our current state of  retirement preparation has been placed on the rise of 401(k) plans.  However, does the data support both the romanticized vision of the past and the bleak picture of our present and future?  To help sort through things I have Andrew Biggs, a Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute with me today.  His research on retirement preparation, social security and his relentless focus on data lends for an interesting conversation and perspective on some popular narratives in the media about workplace retirement plans.   Guest Bio Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D., is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. Prior to joining AEI he was the principal deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), where he oversaw SSA's policy research efforts and led the agency's participation in the Social Security Trustees working group. In 2005 he worked on Social Security reform at the National Economic Council and in 2001 was on the staff of the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Andrew’s work at AEI focuses on Social Security reform, state and local government pensions, and comparisons of public and private sector compensation. His work has appeared in academic publications as well as outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Washington Post, and he has testified before Congress on numerous occasions. He holds a Bachelors degree from the Queen's University of Belfast, Masters degrees from Cambridge University and the University of London and a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics.   401(k) Fridays Podcast Overview Struggling with a fiduciary issue, looking for strategies to improve employee retirement outcomes or curious about the impact of current events on your retirement plan? We've had conversations with retirement industry leaders to address these and other relevant topics! You can easily explore over fifty prior on-demand audio interviews here. Don't forget to subscribe as we release a new episode each Friday!