The Buffin Foundation

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The IMF and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is engaged in supporting the global effort to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. The IMF is involved with the SDGs wherever they affect economic stability or sustainable and inclusive growth. The IMF advises and assists member countries in implementing economic and financial policies that promote […]

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The 2018 Social Security Trustees Report (continued)

The July edition of Commentary presented the main results from the 2018 Annual Report of the Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds regarding the financial status of the U.S. Social Security system. The main purpose of the trustees’ report is to evaluate the relationship between the actuarial […]

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The 2018 Social Security Trustees Report

The 2018 Annual Report of the Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds presents information regarding the financial status of the U.S. Social Security system. The Board of Trustees is composed of six members: Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Commissioner […]

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Measuring and Reporting Actuarial Obligations of Social Security Systems

An authoritative and timely paper, prepared by the world’s leading expert actuaries on Social Security finance, is now available through the International Actuarial Association (IAA). This important paper, Measuring and Reporting Actuarial Obligations of Social Security Systems, was developed by the IAA’s Social Security Committee (SSC), and announced by the IAA in a News Release […]

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Social Security Automatic Adjustments

The July 2017 edition of Commentary described the system of parametric adjustments to the United States Social Security system, indicating how certain features of the benefit structure are subject to periodic adjustments that are typically tied to inflation, as measured by changes to consumer prices or national wage levels. These adjustments include an annual cost-of-living […]

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The Age of Data Dependency: Policy by the Numbers

Economic and social policy decisions are increasingly becoming data-dependent. Specific key metrics and indicators are now being rigorously monitored as a precursor to decision-making in connection with public policy issues. While “management by objectives” techniques are well-established and widely practiced in government and industry, the stated objectives are often set in terms of inappropriate metrics […]