The presidential campaign of Steve Laffey, a Republican, announced Wednesday that Laurence Kotlikoff will join the campaign as Laffey's chief economic advisor.
Kotlikoff is a Boston University economics professor who is well-known in the retirement industry for advocating an "economics-first" approach to financial planning and for his at-times scathing analysis of the Social Security program.
Kotlikoff — who was a senior economist for President Ronald Reagan's Council of Economic Advisers and has consulted for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, among others — speaks regularly with ThinkAdvisor about the financial strains facing the U.S. federal governments and its citizens.
In a recent interview, he called once again for the full-scale scrapping of Social Security, to be replaced by government-managed individual investment accounts. He also said that, while more advisors are talking to clients about Social Security claiming, few are doing so effectively, and this fact is helping to compound the "retirement crisis" facing the nation.
Laffey's campaign called Kotlikoff's appointment "a major boost," pointing out that Kotlikoff, in addition to his public policy work, is a renowned economist and professor. He has authored 20 books, the announcement points out, and his writings on economics and politics have been cited widely around the world.
Kotlikoff himself attempted a third-party bid for the presidency in 2012 and ran as a write-in candidate in 2016.
In his role as chief economic advisor, Kotlikoff will lead the economic policy team and advise Laffey on policy proposals that encompass "the full range of economic issues facing the country."
A Long-Term Relationship, With Differences
According to the announcement, Kotlikoff and Laffey met in 2011 during the production of "Fixing America – the Movie," a documentary Laffey produced.
"We've been discussing his candidacy ever since," Kotlikoff says.
In the announcement, Kotlikoff points out that the men differ on several issues, among them abortion access and geopolitical issues, such as "how to deal with China."
"But we're generally very closely aligned," Kotlikoff says. "Indeed, I'm very proud to serve as Steve's economics advisor."
The Laffey campaign says voters are looking for candidates with sound economic policies and the experience to navigate the complexities of the challenges facing the country. The campaign has already released a comprehensive economic plan that features policy proposals related to Social Security, the Federal Reserve, energy issues and infrastructure.
