Everyone knows Social Security and Medicare are on the ropes. Here’s what to do instead of panicking.

Everyone knows Social Security and Medicare are on the ropes. Here’s what to do instead of panicking. With midterm elections around the corner, voters voice concern about the future of these programs as rising costs imperil household finances Americans worried about the future of Social Security can run their numbers to see what their retirement finances will look like if Congress doesn’t act and they only receive 75% of their expected benefits.

The outlook for Social Security and Medicare is a source of rising concern for Americans, who are uncertain about their finances with the future of these programs in jeopardy, according to a recent poll of financial advisers by the CFP Board, the organization that handles the professional certification of financial planners. The long-term health of Social Security and Medicare has been in question for many years, but for many Americans, concerns about day-to-day affordability have compounded the “feeling of, is this something I should be worrying about? Everything from, ‘Can I afford these groceries?’ all the way to, ‘What do I need to be worrying about in terms of my retirement?’” K.

Dane Snowden, CEO of the CFP Board, told MarketWatch. Copyright ©2026 MarketWatch, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 ‘We made a bad, bad decision’: I learned the hard way how to manage my aging father’s money How is Gen Z investing their money?

Over a dozen share their strategies for today’s market. Do this one thing to help prevent your parents from being scammed Social Security checks are projected to be cut by $540 a month in just six years Venessa Wong is a personal finance reporter for MarketWatch based in New York City. She writes about family finances, young investors and wealth building.

Venessa previously worked at BuzzFeed News and Bloomberg, and is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School and Middlebury College. Intraday Data provided by FACTSET and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by FACTSET.

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