Why Doesn’t Social Security Invest In Gold?
Saturday, October 5th 2024
To understand why Social Security does not invest in gold, one must understand its core principles. Social Security was originally founded as an insurance program designed to assist elderly, unemployed and other marginalized members. Funding of Social Security comes through compulsory payroll taxes known as Federal Insurance Contributions Act Taxes (FICA).
Misunderstandings abound surrounding how Social Security works; instead of operating like traditional savings or investment accounts, your payroll tax contributions go toward funding current recipients – it acts like an exchange between generations; today’s workforce financially supports current retirees with hopes that tomorrow’s workforce will reciprocate by supporting current beneficiaries as they get older.
The Role of the Social Security Trust Fund
Social Security reserves are held within the Social Security Trust Fund. When more payroll taxes are collected than needed to provide benefits, any excess is added to this US Treasury-held fund and then used to purchase special-issue Treasury bonds (1) – effectively lending these surplus funds back to our government.
From a Social Security system point of view, government bonds offer risk-free investments; therefore, when investing, Trust Fund money goes solely toward these safe assets.
Gold as an Investment
Gold differs from bonds in that its price fluctuates based on market demand and supply. Gold was long considered an inflation (2) hedge due to currency devaluation or economic instability; however, its price may also fluctuate depending on factors like geopolitical tensions, changes in US Dollar strength or global economic health shifts.
Gold does not produce income or dividends like bonds and stocks do; its value relies solely on how much someone else is willing to pay for it. Therefore, many consider gold a “defensive” investment strategy used primarily to preserve wealth rather than generate additional returns through income generation or growth.
The Potential Risks of Investing in Gold
Given the nature of social security investments, investing in gold may introduce various risks:
- Market volatility: Gold prices tend to be more volatile compared to Treasury bonds and this could cause losses that threaten the viability of the Social Security Trust Fund.
- Liquidity needs: Social Security relies on regular asset liquidations for benefit payments; should its Trust Fund need to sell gold at low prices at once, that could reduce funds available for beneficiaries.
- Storage and insurance costs: Gold requires storage and insurance costs which could reduce its return. As a result, these expenditures would erode returns over time.
- No yield: Unlike Treasury bonds, which offer predictable income streams such as bonds do, gold offers no yield or interest payments to its holders.
The Principle of Risk and Return
Risk and return are cornerstone concepts in finance, with higher risks accompanying greater returns. Gold may offer higher potential returns than Treasury bonds but would introduce greater levels of risk that Social Security systems seek to alleviate.
As private investors may willingly assume greater risks in exchange for potentially greater returns, Social Security Trust Fund’s mandate is different; their top priority should always be maintaining high certainty that funds will be there when needed to cover benefits payments.
Legal and Regulatory Restrictions
Even if there was an interest to invest in gold, legal and regulatory restrictions prevent the Social Security Trust Fund from doing so. Under current law, surplus funds must only be invested in interest-bearing obligations of the United States or in obligations guaranteed both principally and interest by it; effectively limiting investment choices to Treasury bonds.
The Implications of a Potential Policy Shift
If the Social Security Administration ever decides to include gold as an investment choice in their investment policy, it would likely spark widespread debate and spark heated arguments among many Americans.
- Risk of politicization: Any attempt at altering Social Security’s investment strategy would likely become highly politicized, creating uncertainty and possible instability within a system which currently benefits from its straightforward, uncomplicated structure.
- Administrative and logistical challenges: Implementing a gold investment strategy may pose logistical challenges including buying, storage and protecting the precious metal the cost could can be prohibitive and lead to issues to be created during this procedure.
- Change to system’s dynamics: Shifting towards investing gold may lead to significant shifts in Social Security system dynamics. Such investments could transition away from providing support through working generations’ labor to one that prioritizes investment performance; such a dramatic transformation would fundamentally transform what comprises Social Security today.
Conclusion
Social Security doesn’t invest in gold because its design prohibits this practice. Social Security provides reliable support to vulnerable members of society and prioritizes low-risk, stable investments; its inherent volatility renders gold investments unsuitable as an option within its portfolio.
Current laws and regulations dictate that Social Security funds be invested exclusively in US government obligations; further distancing it from gold investments. Therefore, while gold might shine brightly within private investor portfolios as an inflation or economic uncertainty hedge, its safe haven status makes Social Security funds ineligible for gold investment.
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2 Comments
Right on! The risk of politicization would be 100% haha
Hi Robert,
I agree, this is too much of a risk for any politician to get remotely close to such an idea 😉
Happy investing!