Social Security in the United States today is used in a way never intended much different than it was intended, with more than 33% of retirees using the funds as their primary source of income (“Many” paragraph 1). While it seems really good and generous that the government provides a substantial income to seniors, the funds are running out more quickly every year. They are expected to run out by 2033, but this is happening at a faster pace than expected; in 2011 it was expected that the funds would contribute to the elderly until 2036 (“Social” paragraph 2). This leaves today's youth worried about whether they will be able to receive Social Security retirement benefits when they reach age 62, the age at which partial benefits become available to citizens (Tannahill 28). They may have the ability to independently save for retirement, unlike citizens approaching retirement today, of whom only 12% have saved more than $1 million for retirement (“Many” paragraph 3). To calculate Social Security, the government follows a very specific procedure. First, a citizen's earnings are captured and analyzed by tracking the 35 years in which he or she earned the most, no more than $113,700, before reaching age 60. Next, the total of all these earnings is divided by the 420 months in those 35 years (Tannahill 27 ) and entered into a formula that generally averages out to about 44% of the calculated monthly average (Diamond 99). This is typically the general amount of money the citizen receives each month from retirement until death from Social Security. The citizen can choose to start receiving partial benefits of 44% at age 62 or full benefits at age 66 (Tannahill 28). It is therefore understood that the help...... half of the document ......ebscohost.com.gatekeeper2.lindenwood.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=875742a5-b3d4-428e-8fc5-7b9baca8c9dc% 40sessionmgr113&vid=4&hid=106>.Pino, Ariel and Juan Yermo. “The impact of the 2007-2009 crisis on social security and private pension funds: a threat to their financial health?” International Social Security Review 63.2 (2010): 5-30. Business origination completed. Network. March 11, 2014. Tannahill, Bruce A. “Social Security Retirement Benefits: The Basics.” Journal of Financial Services Professionals 67.6 (2013): 27-30. Premier corporate source. Network. March 7. 2014. .