Harv's Corner

SOCIAL SECURITY IS TEETERING UNDER MUSK
Cuts result in hobbled phone service, web crashes.
By LISA REIN and HANNAH NATANSON •
The Washington Post

The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month, blocking millions of retirees and disabled Americans from logging in to their online accounts because the servers were overloaded. In the field, office managers have resorted to answering phones at the front desk as receptionists because so many employees have been pushed out. But the agency no longer has a system to monitor customers' experience with these services, because that office was eliminated as part of the cost cutting efforts led by Elon Musk.

And the phones keep ringing. And ringing.
The federal agency that delivers $1.5 trillion a year in earned benefits to 73 million retired workers, their survivors and poor and disabled Americans is engulfed in crisis — further undermining its ability to provide reliable and quick service to vulnerable customers, according to internal documents and more than two dozen current and former agency employees and officials, customers and others who interact with Social Security.

Financial services executive Frank Bisignano faced lawmakers Tuesday during a Senate confirmation hearing as President Donald Trump's pick to become the permanent commissioner.

For now, the agency is run by a caretaker leader in his sixth week on the job who has raced to push out more than 12% of the staff of 57,000.

He has conceded that Musk is really in charge, pushing a single-minded mission to find benefits fraud despite vast evidence that the problem is overstated.

The turmoil is leaving many retirees, disabled claimants and legal immigrants who need Social Security cards with less access or shut out of the system altogether, according to those familiar with the problems.

"What's going on is the destruction of the agency from the inside out, and it's accelerating," Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said in an interview. "I have people approaching me all the time in their 70s and 80s, and they're beside themselves. They don't know what's coming."

Leland Dudek — the accidental leader elevated to acting commissioner after he fed data to Musk's team behind his bosses' backs — has issued rapid-fire policy changes that have created chaos for front-line staff. Under pressure from the secretive Musk team, Dudek has pushed out dozens of officials with years of expertise in running Social Security's complex benefit and information technology systems. Others have left in disgust.

The moves have upended an agency that, despite the popularity of its programs, has been underfunded for years, faces potential insolvency in a decade and has been led by four commissioners in five months — just one of them Senate-confirmed.

Alarmed lawmakers are straining to answer questions from angry constituents in their districts. Calls have flooded into congressional offices. The AARP announced on Monday that more than 2,000 retirees per week have called the organization since early February — double the usual number — with concerns about whether benefits they paid for during their working careers will continue.

Social Security is the primary source of income for about 40% of older Americans.

Trump has said repeatedly that the administration "won't touch" Social Security, a promise that aides say applies to benefit levels that can only be adjusted by Congress. But in just six weeks, the cuts to staffi ng and offices have already taken a toll on access to benefits, officials and advocates say.

With aging technology systems and a $15 billion budget that has stayed relatively flat over a decade, Social Security was already struggling to serve the public amid an explosion of retiring baby boomers. The staff that reviews claims for two disability programs was on life support following massive pandemic turnover — and still takes 233 days on average to review an initial claim.

But current and former officials, advocates and others who interact with the agency — many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution — said Social Security has been damaged even further by the rapid cuts and chaos of Trump's first two months in office.

Many current and former officials fear it's part of a longsought effort by conservatives to privatize all or part of the agency.

"They're creating a fire to require them to come and put it out," said one high-ranking official who took early retirement this month.

Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency team began poring through Social Security's massive trove of private data on millions of Americans, working in a fourth-floor conference room at the Woodlawn, Md., headquarters with blackout curtains on the windows and an armed security guard posted outside.

Their obsession with false claims that millions of deceased people were fraudulently receiving benefits consumed the DOGE team at first.

Then came new mandates designed to address alleged fraud: Directdeposit transactions and identity authentication that affect almost everyone receiving benefits will no longer be able to be done by phone. Customers with computers will be directed to go through the process online — and those without access to one to wait in line at their local field office.

A change announced internally last week will require legal immigrants with authorization to work in the United States and newly naturalized citizens to apply for or update their Social Security cards in person, eliminating a long-standing practice that sent the cards automatically through the mail.

Aging, inefficient phone systems have dogged Social Security for years. A modernization contract with Verizon started under the first Trump administration suffered from multiple delays, system crashes and other problems. As commissioner during the last year of the Biden administration, former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley moved the project to a new contractor, Amazon Web Services, and data shows that the average wait time for the tollfree line was down to 50 minutes, half of today's average time on hold. But O'Malley ran out of time to switch the new system to field office phones, he said.

Now a perfect storm has overtaken the system. Turnover that's normally higher than 10% has worsened at the 24 call centers across the country.

Dudek told reporters in a call last week that "all options are on the table" to improve phone service, including outsourcing some call center service.

Scammers are already taking advantage of the chaotic moment, according to internal emails obtained by the Post.

Last week, staff in several offices warned employees that seniors were reporting receiving emails from fake accounts pretending to be linked to Social Security.

Harv's Corner

This isn't a joke. ​This is a real possibility if we don't address climate change. This article will explain why this future is more likely now than ever before. ​

​What the nation is now doing on climate instead of science.
Going it alone, with neglect.
By PATRICK HAMILTON

The second Trump administration has stated that its actions must address three questions: Does it make us stronger? Does it make us safer? Does it make us more prosperous? This administration is in its early days but already is poised to fail to deliver on all three questions to the great detriment of all of us because it vigorously denies a fundamental reality — humans are changing how the atmosphere and the entire global ocean operate and therefore altering the conditions on which our civilization depends.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has been advising presidents, Congress and the U.S. public on science, engineering and health matters since its founding in 1863. In a joint publication with the Royal Society, it says circumstances are "now more certain than ever, based on many lines of evidence, that humans are changing Earth's climate."

With more than 13,000 members, the American Meteorological Society is the nation's premier scientific and professional organization for disseminating atmospheric, oceanic and hydrologic information that we all depend on daily. It says "projected warming over the next century will likely place global temperatures in a range not seen in millions of years of geologic history."

The American Geophysical Union is a global network of 60,000 members in 137 countries that works to promote excellence in scientific research and to leverage science to help society worldwide.

It says "[e]conomic and social disruption will result ... such as agricultural and fisheries productivity; submergence and loss of land due to sea-level rise; diminished labor productivity; disruption in education systems; damages to critical infrastructure; collapsing insurance markets and deteriorated air, water and soil quality."

Given the overwhelming scientific evidence that human caused climate change is an urgent threat to the well-being of all of us, why does the Trump administration insist on denying reality? One reason is state capture, in which private interests gain control over a government's decisionmaking processes to their own advantage.

According to OpenSecrets, the top 20 oil and gas contributors in 2023 and 2024 donated nearly $173 million, of which more than $171 million, or 99%, went to Republican candidates or to conservative groups. While dismaying, it is not surprising that fossil fuel interests take precedence over what is best for the rest of us.

But there is another reason why Trumpism denies climate change — reality must not interfere with ideology. Trumpism does not accept the need for or desirability of international organizations, agreements or cooperation. The U.S. is (metaphorically) an island and any interactions with those beyond its shores must be dealt with strictly on a transactional basis.

Climate change does not comply with this mindset.
While the U.S. can contribute significantly to addressing climate change, it alone cannot solve the crisis. Since the issue cannot be addressed unilaterally, Trumpism cannot consider it all.

In 1616, the Catholic Church convicted Galileo of heresy because the evidence he collected through his rudimentary telescope led him to conclude that the Earth revolved around the sun, contradicting accepted Biblical interpretations.

At the time, whether the Earth revolved around the sun or vice versa did not materially affect people's day-to-day lives.

We face a far more precarious situation now.
Government employees are being questioned about their work on climate change.

Climate scientists are being purged from government offices. Government climate change data sets and websites are being taken down. Work on renewable energy and energy efficiency projects are being canceled, regardless of whether the federal government legally committed to these projects through signed contracts.

Since its passage in August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act has catalyzed tens of billions of dollars in the construction of new battery, solar, wind and EV manufacturing plants that are creating thousands of good-paying jobs overwhelmingly in red states. And in 2024, renewables contributed 93% of all new and badly needed capacity to our electric grids.

But instead of building on (and then taking credit) for this investment and manufacturing momentum that is making us stronger, safer and more prosperous, the Trump administration is actively working to shut it all down. In effect, President Trump has decried that goodpaying jobs in the clean energy economy are not good enough for American workers. Americans voted to put a populist in the White House, but that is not who they got.
​
After a 40-year career developing environmental projects for the Science Museum of Minnesota, Patrick Hamilton retired in October 2024 and now holds the honorary title of Fellow.

Harv's Corner

In light of recent market fluctuations, informed decision-making is crucial. Ross Levin's analysis provides a framework for understanding current challenges and exploring potential mitigation strategies.

TIME TO TAKE CONTROL Of FINANCES Thes​e are crazy times, from a $6 billion state budget deficit to capricious national government decisions, but making some smart money choices can help. ​ By ROSS LEVIN • For the Minnesota Star Tribune

I tend to be even-keeled — that is, until I talk to our cable provider.
I was trying to cancel an addon that I never signed up for (nor used) before the free subscription trial period ended. I miraculously found a number to call and was greeted by Jessica, who immediately tried to sell me on some medical warning service.

After repeatedly telling Jessica I wasn't interested, she continued undeterred. I became more frustrated. I started saying, "Stop, Jessica," and eventually yelled, "Stop, Jessica!" Jessica fervently pushed forward. Defeated, I hung up the phone with nary a goodbye.

Our visiting adult daughter popped her head in my room and said, "Dad, you know you were yelling at a bot." Umm, of course I knew.

These are crazy times. Whether it is a $6 billion state budget deficit or capricious national government decisions, I suspect many of us are yelling at some kind of inanimate object because we can't find people willing to listen. This is the best time to take financial matters into your own hands.

The U.S. stock market this year has been topsy-turvy, as valuations on the beloved Magnificent Seven stocks became so inflated, even good results have not been enough. Expectations for lower interest rates have been reduced, on-again/ off-again tariffs create much uncertainty and with the costs of goods staying higher than hoped, consumers are stretched.

But rather than yell at the television, take a peek at some things that are performing this year — such as international stocks — and some things that are providing solid income with not much downside: high-yielding savings accounts, treasuries and bonds. International stocks have had nice returns in 2025 and safe fixed-income investments are yielding well more than 4%. In other words, if you had not been rebalancing your investments, it isn't too late to do so.

If you recently received your property casualty insurance renewal, you were likely yelling at the bill. If you were watching the wildfires and the storm damage and thinking, "Well, at least it didn't affect me," your renewal notice indicated otherwise. Yelling won't help but increasing your deductibles might. Insurance is there to cover what you can't afford to pay yourself. Many of us are reluctant to file small claims. With those two things in mind, talk with your agent to see how much you can save by raising your auto and home deductibles.

I admit I am rendering this advice when, several years ago after raising our deductibles considerably, one of our daughters drove her car into our air-conditioning unit. This is a case where I might have had the right to yell but was too shocked to do so.

Costs in general have been going up, and it's not just eggs. Don't bother loudly complaining to your grocer or your restaurant server as things aren't going to change anytime soon. That means that you need to do the heavy lifting of determining what you want to spend and where you want to spend it. Groceries are expensive, but it is still cheaper than eating out.

Consciously making decisions regarding how you want to spend will make you appreciate those occasional, rather than regular, nights out. Spend some money on a cooking class to help you feel comfortable preparing affordable and enjoyable meals. Mindful spending will save your vocal c ords and grocer's ears.

Clients are yelling at their real estate agent when their homes are not selling or when they can't find an affordable home to buy. Sorry, sellers, but with interest rates staying high, a volatile stock market, everyday costs rising and many companies requiring more in-office workdays, unless you have something incredibly desirable about your property, it might sit for a bit.

If you are a patient buyer, look at time spent on the market for homes you are watching and consider making offers lower than you otherwise would.

Spend the necessary upfront time looking for an agent who is interested in being patient with you as you confront this challenging environment.

I was eventually able to cancel my TV service privately through an online chat. Goodbye, Jessica!

Ross Levin is the founder of Accredited Investors Wealth Management in Edina. He can be reached at [email protected].

"Think! We're all getting older. Are we really prioritizing Large inheritances for our kids when they might need help now? If you're fortunate enough to have the means, consider giving them some financial support while you're still around to see them enjoy it."

​Let money support your values By ROSS LEVIN For the Minnesota Star Tribune

​Let money support your values, not other way around
To spend wisely, decide what is most important to you.


Most of us need to work to support ourselves and our lifestyles.
We cash a check and use the money to pay for things we need today or to cover anticipated future needs. But the question to ask yourself is:

Does your money support your values or does money dictate them?

Money supports your values when your spending is directed toward what's most important in your life.

​If family is a priority, then is the amount of money you are spending reflective of that? 

Money controls your values when rules or actions of others determine your needs. Once you've met your financial needs, then everything above that is discretionary. "I deserve this" and "I don't deserve this" are two sides of the same coin. If you are buying items because you can afford them, not because you really want them, then your spending is misaligned with your original values.
​
Worse, if you are buying something because others have it, then you are letting their actions dictate your money values. 
​
The way to calibrate your spending to match your values is through understanding what is important to you, describing why this matters, and then continuing to return to this when you stray.

Money choices are values choices. Aligning your actions with your values is the most effective use of your assets.
​
Spend your life wisely.
Ross Levin is the founder of Accredited Investors Wealth Management in Edina. He can be reached at [email protected].