Financial Services

Expert advocates using 401(k) savings to fatten Social Security checks


Adding such a plan to the system could further strain it, said Kotlikoff, who also provides Social Security and retirement planning tools through his company, Economic Security Planning.

That is because people who know they are healthy and likely to live a long time would be more likely to opt in, which would be more costly.

“In general, the Achilles’ heel of social insurance programs is once you get everyone in on the same boat, you get problems,” Kotlikoff said.

But there is room for a solution, Kotlikoff said. “But it has to be done carefully so Social Security doesn’t lose money,” he said.

By forcing everyone to put $50,000 to $100,000 of their 401(k) funds in a Social Security annuity that’s actuarially fair, that would avoid adverse selection and get everyone in the same pool, Kotlikoff said.

“With that caveat, I do like this plan,” Kotlikoff said. “It has to be compulsory and everybody has to be bought in.”

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Joe Elsasser, president and founder of Covisum, a provider of Social Security claiming software, also said the plan needs to account for longer life spans and adverse selection. Otherwise, “it could easily end up being the thing that accelerates Social Security benefit cuts or political backlash,” Elsasser said.

One important point for individuals to remember: You can already use your retirement funds to increase your Social Security benefits.

“The easy way to ‘buy more’ Social Security today is to use one’s own IRA money to finance your retirement while delaying Social Security benefits,” Elsasser said.

By doing that, you can dramatically boost the size of your benefits.

At full retirement age — 66 or 67 for most, depending on the year of your birth — you can get 100% of your retirement benefit. But by waiting until age 70, you can get a 32% bigger check.

Yet, fewer than 10% of people delay claiming beyond full retirement age, Elsasser said. Most opt to start receiving checks as early as possible — either at 62 or when the earnings test is no longer relevant, he said.



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