As an investor, I've always wondered why Social Security is such a problem. What is so difficult about managing this particular Trust Fund, and why is it so different from any other investment account that pays out a constant stream of income to retirees? The private sector does it routinely (defined benefit pension plans are not anything new, nor are deferred fixed annuities), so what is the big deal?

Is Social Security failing because it hasn't been invested soundly, because it is too large, or is there another reason? The most obvious problem is politics, and the most common way of dealing with the issues is to cast blame in every direction. I have no interest in calculating how much has been wasted or mismanaged by whom, nor do I intend to waste even one sentence on finger pointing. We have a very solvable problem that can be fixed relatively quickly and in a surprisingly painless manner. Benefits are likely to increase in the process, jobs will be created, and not one of the mythical dollars in the nonexistent Trust Fund will go missing! Let's take the whole thing away from the politicians, create a “for real” Trust Fund and get on with it.

I have just published "An Investment Grade White Paper on Social Security" to my website. You can access it from my home page or directly at: http://www.sancoservices.com/socialsecurityreform.htm

Sure it's incomplete, but it certainly is a different approach, sans the politics.  Help get the word out. Forward this email to your local newspaper editor.