ABSTRACT
Social Security and other sources of retirement income have improved seniors finances. The combination of private pensions, income, savings, and Social Security can replace as much as 50 percent to 80 percent of income after retirement. Like the program developed in Germany, Social Security responded to social and economic distress. The state and federal governments responded to the problem with the first US social insurance programs. In response to the conditions, the federal government passed the Social Security Act. Most workers, young and old, will benefit from a strong public pension system. The government has raised the age of retirement to cope with the change and to encourage people to work longer. If the government and people adopt the approach, the country can enter the future without a crisis in its retirement income system. The chapter relates the historical development of the US pension system and the three-tiered structure of the system.
