Constance Craig-Mason: Financial Expert

06/11/2026

Social Security is facing a 22% cliff — 4 ways to build an income stream Washington can’t touch

June 10, 2026 — Kurt Supe, CPA and Retirement Planner

Social Security is drying up faster than anyone imagined. Once the reserves are gone, the taxes still coming in cover about 78 cents of every dollar of promised benefits…

Social Security’s main trust fund runs out of money in six years. And the reckoning date keeps getting sooner.

Last February, the Congressional Budget Office moved the insolvency timeline closer. Social Security’s Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund, which pays Americans’ retirement benefits, now hits zero in 2032 instead of 2033.

That’s a year earlier than the Social Security Trustees projected just eight months ago, and two years earlier than CBO itself projected in 2024.

The Trustees’ 2026 report, released on June 9, now projects the Social Security trust fund to be insolvent in late 2032 — three months earlier than they predicted a year ago. When the CBO and the program’s own actuaries land on the same year, that’s no longer a forecast you can wave off.

The Social Security fund doesn’t disappear. Payroll taxes keep flowing in. But the program can only pay out what it collects, which means an automatic benefit cut on the day the reserves are exhausted.

Here’s what that looks like in 2032: Once the reserves are gone, the taxes still coming in cover about 78 cents of every dollar of promised benefits, and that figure keeps drifting down for decades after.

There’s no need to panic about Social Security. The solution is to stop treating a single government program as the foundation of a private retirement plan.

Here are the four moves that work in this new environment:

1. Treat Social Security as just another income source — not the income source.

2. Get the claiming decision right. The math is moving in only one direction.

3. Build an independent income floor for essentials.

4. Stress test for what the political fix costs higher earners.

Continue reading here: 🌐 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/social-security-could-face-an-automatic-22-cut-in-2032-these-4-moves-will-protect-your-retirement-a00f9463

Source: MarketWatch
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The countdown to insolvency is accelerating — and the rules of retirement planning just broke.

05/25/2026

Will the 2027 Social Security COLA Break the 45-Year High of 8.7% Set in 2023? Here's What We Know.

May 24, 2026 — Kailey Hagen, CFP

We're still nearly seven months away from the official 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announcement, but projections indicate that seniors hoping for an above-average increase are likely to get their wish. Inflation has increased recently, driving up COLA estimates.

Some are hoping next year's COLA will rival the 8.7% Social Security benefit boost seniors saw in 2023 -- the highest COLA in the last 45 years. We can't say for sure whether this will be the case, but here's what's likely based on what we know so far.

The latest 2027 Social Security COLA projection is 3.9%

The Social Security Administration doesn't announce projections before the official COLA announcement in mid-October. But The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), a nonpartisan senior group, does, and its predictions tend to be pretty accurate, especially as the official announcement nears.

The April 2026 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed that inflation rose to 3.8%, up from 3.3% in March. This prompted TSCL to increase its COLA projection from 2.8% to 3.9%, a 1.1% increase. It's a bit unusual for it to increase benefits this much in a single month, and it reflects growing concerns about inflation.

That said, as things stand now, we're a long way from the 8.7% COLA that beneficiaries got in 2023. The COLA is tied to the inflation rate -- specifically, the average third-quarter inflation data. The Social Security Administration compares CPI data from July, August, and September of the current year with those from July, August, and September of the previous year. The average difference from 2022 to 2023 was 8.7%, so that's what the 2023 COLA became.

It's not impossible to think that another 8.7% COLA could occur in 2027. In May 2023, inflation was 4% according to the CPI report, which isn't much higher than where we are now. But inflation would have to increase rapidly over the coming months to break the 45-year record.

That would be tough on everyone, especially seniors living on a fixed income. It might lead to a larger Social Security boost, but all that extra money would go toward covering your rising living costs rather than raising your standard of living.

The Social Security Administration will announce the official 2027 Social Security COLA on Oct. 14, 2026…

For more on the story, click here 🌐 https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/2027-social-security-cola-break-150500653.html

Source: The Motley Fool

There are still several months to go, but all signs point to an above-average COLA so far.

05/01/2026

📱Please, stop your scrolling for 3 seconds and help us celebrate the birthday of our Founder, Dr Constance Craig-Mason, MRFC®, NSSA® 👏🏾

If you’ve been in her presence for even a few moments, you may attest to the light, warmth and joy that radiates from her soul.

She’s been a blessing to so many families and partners, not just in York County but across the globe!

Dr. Constance, we hope that you have an incredible birthday today! 🎂

04/05/2026

Happy Easter! Rise Up!