PRAUSA

Retiring Social Security

Workers under 55 build Personal Retirement Accounts starting 2028, while modest Social Security adjustments stabilize the legacy system until PRAs dominate—no crisis, no cuts.

America stands at a crossroads. We can lurch toward the predictable Social Security crisis of 2033—an avoidable collapse brought on by decades of political evasion—or we can choose a future rooted in personal ownership, earned dignity, and financial strength. Our Plan chooses the latter. It replaces empty promises with real assets, replaces political risk with individual control, and restores the founding American ideal of freedom through personal responsibility.

Under our reform, every worker begins building a Personal Retirement Account—a private, inheritable, investment-based savings account—starting in 2028. At the same time, we stabilize the legacy Social Security system through a limited, one-time set of adjustments that protect lower-income retirees while ensuring the system can gracefully wind down as PRAs rise. The result is a permanent solution: no panic, no emergency cuts, no massive tax hikes, and no government borrowing. No more kicking the can down the road.

This is the first complete solution that solves Social Security’s insolvency forever—not through austerity, but by shifting retirement security from political promises to real, compounding wealth. And because our reform eliminates crisis-driven bailouts, it prevents the explosive borrowing that would accompany a 2033 collapse—strengthening national finances rather than straining them.

Why Act Now—Not in Crisis

Waiting until 2033 guarantees chaos: immediate 20–25% benefit cuts, rushed legislation, market turmoil, intergenerational conflict, and a collapse of public trust. Acting in 2028 harnesses an entirely different dynamic:

  • Workers gain two extra decades of PRA compounding, because contributions begin earlier and accumulate market returns for far longer than under any crisis-era rescue.

  • Social Security’s needed adjustments are far smaller now because they are implemented before the trust fund hits the wall.

  • The transition is orderly, transparent, and fair; no one is blindsided.

  • The nation avoids crisis-driven policy that punishes workers and retirees alike.

The can stops here. We fix the system now and replace it with something better—not merely “not broken,” but a lasting, ownership-based retirement system that endures in perpetuity.

How the Two Systems Work Together

The legacy Social Security program must continue supporting older retirees while PRAs take over for younger generations. That requires two parallel tracks:

Track 1: Build a New, Owned Retirement System

  • In conjunction with The Plan, every worker under 55 starts a Personal Retirement Account in 2028.

  • PRA credits are based on wages, grow with investment returns, and are fully inheritable.

  • Once custodial accounts take over, workers will hold actual assets, not promises. Custodial accounts are privately managed, legally owned accounts—comparable to IRAs—holding real Treasury-backed cash and diversified investments.

Track 2: Stabilize Social Security Until It Naturally Winds Down

The goal is not 75-year solvency—no longer relevant in a PRA world. We only need legacy Social Security to remain cash-stable until PRA assets dominate and legacy retiree counts fall. With responsible but modest adjustments, that window holds until the late 2040s, when FICA can begin declining and eventually disappear.

The Legacy Social Security Adjustments

(Effective Jan 1, 2028)

All changes are internal to Social Security. No general revenue transfers. No new debt. No FICA diversion.

  1. Full Retirement Age → 68
    Phased in over six cohorts (2028–2034). A one-year increase reduces future outlays ~23% without affecting anyone already near retirement.

  2. Targeted High-Earner Formula Trim
    Reduce the top bend-point multiplier by 5%. Lower- and middle-income workers are fully shielded.

  3. COLA Adjustment at the Top
    Bottom 70% of beneficiaries retain standard CPI-W. Top 30% receive chained CPI. Protects vulnerable seniors while generating modest, steady savings.

  4. Disability Integrity Enhancements
    More accurate eligibility reviews and periodic re-verification. Typical savings: 1–2% of DI outlays.

  5. Workforce and Immigration Support
    Policies to expand skilled immigration and incentivize older-worker participation increase contributors without raising tax rates.

  6. All Savings Locked to Social Security
    Every dollar of savings remains inside the system until PRA crossover—no budgetary leakage.

Technical Addendum for Actuarial Scoring

Objective:

Stabilize legacy Social Security cash flow 2028–2048 while PRAs expand, allowing FICA to remain level and later decline without deficits.

Baseline Conditions (Pre-Reform):

  1. Trust fund exhaustion projected ~2033.

  2. Immediate deficit at exhaustion: 20–25% benefit cut.

  3. FICA covers ~76–79% of promised benefits thereafter.

Reform Effects:

  1. Full Retirement Age (FRA) to 68 (phased):
    • ~23% reduction in long-run retirement outlays for affected cohorts.
    • No effect on current retirees.
    • Significant impact on 2035–2050 cash-flow pressures.

  2. Bend-Point Trim (top earnings tier):
    • Saves ~5–7% of total outlays for affected cohorts.
    • Disproportionately reduces long-run liabilities without hitting low earners.

  3. Tiered COLA:
    • Net savings ~0.2–0.3% of annual outlays.
    • Grows cumulatively over time.

  4. Disability Adjustments:
    • Historical analogs produce 1–2% DI savings.
    • Helps stabilize DI trust fund, reducing cross-pressure.

  5. Workforce Expansion:
    • Increases contributor base 1–1.5% by mid-2030s.
    • Slows the decline in the worker-to-beneficiary ratio.

Crossover Estimate:

  1. Legacy retiree count peaks ~2039–2042.

  2. PRA custodial dominance emerges 2046–2050.

  3. That is the point where FICA can begin a phased decline without deficits.

Result:

  1. No insolvency event.

  2. No benefit cliff.

  3. No tax hikes.

  4. No borrowing.

  5. Complete transition to PRA-based retirement security.

Learn More

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Click the link below to get added to our newsletter and learn ways to get involved with the move to PRA accounts.

PRAUSA

© Copyright 2025. Personal Retirement Accounts. All Rights Reserved. Content may not be reproduced without permission.

Retiring Social Security

Workers under 55 build Personal Retirement Accounts starting 2028, while modest Social Security adjustments stabilize the legacy system until PRAs dominate—no crisis, no cuts.

America stands at a crossroads. We can lurch toward the predictable Social Security crisis of 2033—an avoidable collapse brought on by decades of political evasion—or we can choose a future rooted in personal ownership, earned dignity, and financial strength. Our Plan chooses the latter. It replaces empty promises with real assets, replaces political risk with individual control, and restores the founding American ideal of freedom through personal responsibility.

Under our reform, every worker begins building a Personal Retirement Account—a private, inheritable, investment-based savings account—starting in 2028. At the same time, we stabilize the legacy Social Security system through a limited, one-time set of adjustments that protect lower-income retirees while ensuring the system can gracefully wind down as PRAs rise. The result is a permanent solution: no panic, no emergency cuts, no massive tax hikes, and no government borrowing. No more kicking the can down the road.

This is the first complete solution that solves Social Security’s insolvency forever—not through austerity, but by shifting retirement security from political promises to real, compounding wealth. And because our reform eliminates crisis-driven bailouts, it prevents the explosive borrowing that would accompany a 2033 collapse—strengthening national finances rather than straining them.

Why Act Now—Not in Crisis

Waiting until 2033 guarantees chaos: immediate 20–25% benefit cuts, rushed legislation, market turmoil, intergenerational conflict, and a collapse of public trust. Acting in 2028 harnesses an entirely different dynamic:

  • Workers gain two extra decades of PRA compounding, because contributions begin earlier and accumulate market returns for far longer than under any crisis-era rescue.

  • Social Security’s needed adjustments are far smaller now because they are implemented before the trust fund hits the wall.

  • The transition is orderly, transparent, and fair; no one is blindsided.

  • The nation avoids crisis-driven policy that punishes workers and retirees alike.

The can stops here. We fix the system now and replace it with something better—not merely “not broken,” but a lasting, ownership-based retirement system that endures in perpetuity.

The Legacy Social Security Adjustments

(Effective Jan 1, 2028)

All changes are internal to Social Security. No general revenue transfers. No new debt. No FICA diversion.

  1. Full Retirement Age → 68
    Phased in over six cohorts (2028–2034). A one-year increase reduces future outlays ~23% without affecting anyone already near retirement.

  2. Targeted High-Earner Formula Trim
    Reduce the top bend-point multiplier by 5%. Lower- and middle-income workers are fully shielded.

  3. COLA Adjustment at the Top
    Bottom 70% of beneficiaries retain standard CPI-W. Top 30% receive chained CPI. Protects vulnerable seniors while generating modest, steady savings.

  4. Disability Integrity Enhancements
    More accurate eligibility reviews and periodic re-verification. Typical savings: 1–2% of DI outlays.

  5. Workforce and Immigration Support
    Policies to expand skilled immigration and incentivize older-worker participation increase contributors without raising tax rates.

  6. All Savings Locked to Social Security
    Every dollar of savings remains inside the system until PRA crossover—no budgetary leakage.

Technical Addendum for Actuarial Scoring

Objective:

Stabilize legacy Social Security cash flow 2028–2048 while PRAs expand, allowing FICA to remain level and later decline without deficits.

Baseline Conditions (Pre-Reform):

  1. Trust fund exhaustion projected ~2033.

  2. Immediate deficit at exhaustion: 20–25% benefit cut.

  3. FICA covers ~76–79% of promised benefits thereafter.

Reform Effects:

  1. Full Retirement Age (FRA) to 68 (phased):
    • ~23% reduction in long-run retirement outlays for affected cohorts.
    • No effect on current retirees.
    • Significant impact on 2035–2050 cash-flow pressures.

  2. Bend-Point Trim (top earnings tier):
    • Saves ~5–7% of total outlays for affected cohorts.
    • Disproportionately reduces long-run liabilities without hitting low earners.

  3. Tiered COLA:
    • Net savings ~0.2–0.3% of annual outlays.
    • Grows cumulatively over time.

  4. Disability Adjustments:
    • Historical analogs produce 1–2% DI savings.
    • Helps stabilize DI trust fund, reducing cross-pressure.

  5. Workforce Expansion:
    • Increases contributor base 1–1.5% by mid-2030s.
    • Slows the decline in the worker-to-beneficiary ratio.

Crossover Estimate:

  1. Legacy retiree count peaks ~2039–2042.

  2. PRA custodial dominance emerges 2046–2050.

  3. That is the point where FICA can begin a phased decline without deficits.

Result:

  1. No insolvency event.

  2. No benefit cliff.

  3. No tax hikes.

  4. No borrowing.

  5. Complete transition to PRA-based retirement security.

Learn more

Want to learn more or get involved?

Click the link below to get added to our newsletter and learn ways to get involved with the move to PRA accounts.

© Copyright 2025. Personal Retirement Accounts. All Rights Reserved. Content may not be reproduced without permission.