Privatizing Social Security: Advisable But It Can Be A Roller-Coaster Ride To The U.S. Taxpayer

Abstract

The ability of the Social Security retirement program to pay the promised benefits to future generations has been debated since the 1960s. Various suggestions have been made, but the one that has attracted the most passionate opinions has been whether some or all of the Social Security Trust Funds should be invested in the stock market, which would yield higher returns than on the Federal government issued bonds (Treasury Bonds).

In reviewing 88 years of financial market data going back to 1926, the author shows that investing in the stock market (using the S&P 500 as the proxy) will most probably produce higher returns for the U.S. taxpayer (investor) over the long term, but the investor will have to be prepared for a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows.