Yale Law School professor Anne L. Alstott recently recommended that
the Social Security retirement age be raised as high as age 76. Her proposal for raising the retirement age differs from other similar proposals in that it draws a distinction between high-income earners and low-income earners; subjecting high-income earners to a
later retirement age and allowing low-income earners to leave the workforce in their 60s.
The reason: low-income earners often work in physically demanding jobs, and cannot reasonably be expected to
work into their later years.
Alstott also proposed the gradual phaseout of spousal benefits,
which she judges will be less relevant to future generations of earners,
even though they remain very relevant to Baby Boomers.
More commentary on Alstott’s proposals may be found at
FA Magazine.