Fixing Social Security — What Would Bismarck Do?

Social Security needs to be fundamentally reformed without undermining its legitimate mission — forcing people to save and insure and providing forms of social insurance that the private market would either not provide or provide poorly. Although the system has done great good, it is incomprehensible, inefficient, inequitable, and, most important, insolvent. This paper lays out a simple, modern version of Social Security that Bismarck would surely support. My proposed Personal Security System is fully funded, transparent, efficient, fair, and progressive. It features personal accounts that are collectively invested by the government (not Wall Street) at zero cost to workers.