Over a lifetime, African Americans can expect to pay more in Social Security taxes than they will ever receive in Social Security benefits. One of the reasons is that the life expectancy for black men at birth is 67.8 years, while their retirement age will be 67. African Americans can expect to pay taxes throughout their entire work lives but receive only about 10 months of benefits.

A reformed system would allow African Americans to build personal wealth and establish a legacy for their children and grandchildren. If workers could save part of their payroll taxes in personal retirement accounts, they would be able to accumulate wealth and build assets—resources that will be lost to them under the current Social Security system.

John Goodman, President of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) and Harry Alford, President and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), will tell us how both organizations are relaying the message of Social Security reform to millions of black Americans throughout the United States through a volunteer network called Team NCPA. The network is rapidly growing with more than 3,000 members. We hope you will join us to hear about it.

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communications@manhattan-institute.org