If you've been following the headlines about Social Security, you've probably heard something alarming. The trust fund is running out. Benefits could be cut. The whole system might collapse.
The anxiety is understandable. For most people approaching retirement, Social Security isn't the whole plan — but it's a meaningful piece of the foundation. It's the income that keeps coming regardless of what the market does, regardless of how long you live. So when that foundation feels uncertain, it's worth paying attention.
But here's what the headlines almost never say clearly: the system doesn't stop if the trust fund runs low. Payroll taxes continue to come in every month. The real issue is that benefits may need to be reduced if Congress does nothing — and that's a very different conversation than Social Security disappearing.
In this month's webinar, Kelly Olczak, CFP® and Managing Partner of LynnLeigh & Company cuts through the noise to give you a clear, grounded look at what's actually happening — and what it means for your retirement plan.
We'll walk through how Social Security actually works, what Washington is debating, and why most serious reform proposals are designed to protect people who are already retired or close to it. We'll introduce a planning concept called the reliance rate — a simple but powerful way to understand how much pressure your investment portfolio would face if benefits were reduced. And we'll work through a real planning scenario showing exactly what a 20–25% benefit reduction looks like for a couple approaching retirement, and what decisions they still control.
We'll also spend meaningful time on the claiming decision — one of the most consequential choices in retirement planning — including how timing affects the income a surviving spouse carries for the rest of their life.
This is not a political conversation. It's a planning conversation. And it's one worth having before the decisions are already made.
Helpful Resources Included
Participants will receive assess to:
These resources are designed to help you better understand your situation — not overwhelm you with complexity.
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