What Is Social Security?
Social security programs pay for pensions, disability and survivor benefits, mostly from contributions of workers and employers and sometimes taxes.
Video coming soon. The lesson video will appear here once it is published on YouTube.
Check yourself: sample questions
Think about each question, pick what you would answer if you like, then select “Show answer” to see the solution and why. Nothing is graded or sent to us. Example numbers are worked examples, not predictions.
1.What is social security, in the video's words?
Social security programs pay for pensions, disability and survivor benefits, mostly from contributions of workers and employers and sometimes taxes.
2.In the US, what are the Social Security rates for employee and employer?
The 12.4 percent of covered pay, up to a yearly limit, is split half and half.
3.What is a pay-as-you-go system?
Memory hook: pay-as-you-go is a pipe, funded is a piggy bank; many countries mix both, like Sweden.
Full course: 4 more questions for this lesson
The full course unlocks all self-check questions of all 365 lessons, the daily plan, your progress and the printable learning record. Lessons 1 to 7 are completely free.
See the full course Start the free week
Already bought? Open the course on this device
Sources (4)
- Deutsche Rentenversicherung: Die Geschichte
- IRS: Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates (zuletzt ueberprueft 24.09.2026)
- OECD: Pensions at a Glance 2023, Country Profile Sweden
- Eigene Rechnung / Modellannahme (synthetisches Umlagemodell)
Education only. Not financial advice.