The note was inviting...Your Social Security Statement.  Not anyone else's statement. It was all about me. I quickly turned the page to look at the numbers. Nice!  So much for those people who "bash" Social Security!  They must not have looked at their own statement. After basking in the warmth of my retirement, I looked at the front page of the report. Probably just the same old language I assumed. For some reason, I actually read it. My warmth started to turn chilly. It stated:

"In 2016 we will begin paying more in benefits than we collect in taxes. Without changes, by 2037 the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted* and there will be enough money to pay only about 76 cents for each dollar of scheduled benefits. We need to resolve these issues soon to make sure Social Security continues to provide a foundation of protection for future generations. *These estimates are based on the intermediate assumptions from the Social Security Trustees' Annual Report to the Congress."

Out of curiosity I dug out mine and my wife's prior reports from Social Security. The dates and the percentages change, but the message is the same: We need to resolve these issues.

Who is the "we" referred to in the statement? Is it the Administration? Is it Congress? Writing this letter to our members, I decided that I should be a part of the "we". Using member tools from the Financial Planning Association Website (http://www.fpanet.org/GovernmentRelations/GrassrootsEfforts/) I fired off a letter to my Senator Sherrod Brown. I stated the issue outlined above, asked for his position on the issue and told him I would be ready to volunteer my time to work on this issue. What response I receive remains to be seen. If he receives my letter, what impression will he have?  Perhaps if he receives one hundred e mails, we can make an impression.

I encourage you to use the tools FPA provides and communicate with your representatives on the issues affecting your clients' financial security. While I don't expect everyone to agree with how Social Security should be addressed, I hope we can all agree that Social Security must be addressed for the good of our clients and for the good of our country.

April Meeting

Our April 15^th after-tax season meeting was held in the afternoon at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at Legacy Village. This was a nice change of pace from our traditional breakfast meetings and afforded additional time to network with fellow FPA members. Our speaker was Jeff Matthews, author of Pilgrimage to Warren Buffett's Omaha; A Hedge Fund Manager's Dispatches from Inside the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting.  Jeff provided a first-hand account of his attendance at the annual meeting and offered insights into the leadership traits which have characterized Buffett's success.