A Conversation with Bipartisan Policy Center Chief Economist Jason Fichtner
Come 2025, the Social Security system will be in its 90th year of operation, and in many ways, the key federal retirement income insurance program is showing both its age and its continuing importance to the U.S. retirement landscape.
Come 2025, the Social Security system will be in its 90th year of operation, and in many ways, the key federal retirement income insurance program is showing both its age and its continuing importance to the U.S. retirement landscape.
Among the retirement industry experts who knows the program’s virtues and flaws best is our guest on the latest episode of ThinkAdvisor’s podcast series, Retirement in Focus — How Advisors Can Get Clients Ready. We’re joined this time by Dr. Jason Fichtner, chief economist at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Fichtner is a former chief economist for the Social Security Administration and current senior fellow with the Alliance for Lifetime Income. In addition to being a highly active retirement income researcher and policy advocate, he’s also a member of the Puerto Rico Pension Reserve Trust, where he serves on both the Pension Benefits Council and the Pension Reserve Board.
Given his background and current work, Fichtner has an abundance of insight to share into the inner workings of the Social Security Administration — from how its representatives are trained to how the agency defines key terms and concepts in its public-facing educational materials. Speaking with ThinkAdvisor senior reporter John Manganaro, Fichtner discusses these and other important retirement planning topics including:
- Fichtner’s recent retirement-focused testimony on Capitol Hill.
- The evolving role of guaranteed income for retirement savers.
- Advisor compensation and conflict of interest questions and more.
To listen to the previous episode, click here.