Discover 9 Surprising Insights About Social Security for Xcel Energy Employees That Could Transform Your Retirement Planning

Healthcare Provider Update: Healthcare Provider for Xcel Energy Xcel Energy primarily collaborates with UnitedHealthcare to provide healthcare benefits for its employees. This partnership allows Xcel Energy to offer a range of health plans that cater to the diverse needs of its workforce. Potential Healthcare Cost Increases for Xcel Energy in 2026 Looking ahead to 2026, Xcel Energy employees should be prepared for significant healthcare cost increases as industry trends suggest substantial premium hikes. Reports indicate that some states may see ACA marketplace premiums soar by over 60%. In addition to this, employers like Xcel Energy may shift more costs to employees, with many anticipated to increase deductibles or coinsurance due to rising medical expenses. As the market braces for these changes, it becomes essential for employees to stay informed about benefit adjustments, optimize their healthcare plan choices, and explore proactive financial strategies to mitigate the impact of these increased costs. Click here to learn more

Social Security’s been a fact of retirement life ever since it was established in 1935. We all think we know how it works, but how much do you really know? If you work for Xcel Energy, here are nine things that might surprise you.

1. The Social Security trust fund is huge. At $2.9 trillion at the end of 2018, it exceeds the gross domestic product (GDP) of every economy in the world except the ten largest: China, the European Union, the United States, India, Japan, Germany, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, and The United Kingdom.
2. Most workers including those at Xcel Energy are eligible for Social Security benefits, but not all. For example, until 1984, federal government employees were part of the Civil Service Retirement System and were not covered by Social Security.
3. As an employee of Xcel Energyk, you don’t have to work long to be eligible. If you were born in 1929 or later, you need to work for 10 or more years to be eligible for benefits.
4. Benefits are based on an individual’s average earnings during a lifetime of work under the Social Security system. The calculation is based on the 35 highest years of earnings. If an individual has years of low earnings or no earnings, Social Security may count those years to bring the total years to 35.
5. Those at Xcel Energy may also want to consider how there hasn't always been cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) in Social Security benefits. Before 1975, increasing benefits required an act of Congress; now increases happen automatically, based on the Consumer Price Index. There was a COLA increase of 2.9% in 2019, but there was only an increase of 2% in 2018.
6. Social Security is a major source of retirement income for 67% of current retirees, including those at Xcel Energy.
7. Social Security benefits are subject to federal income taxes — but it wasn’t always that way. In 1983, Amendments to the Social Security Act made benefits taxable, starting with the 1984 tax year.
8. Social Security recipients received a single lump-sum payment from 1937 until 1940. One-time payments were considered “payback” to those people who contributed to the program. Social Security administrators believed these people would not participate long enough to be vested for monthly benefits.

Featured Video

Articles you may find interesting:

Loading...
• Corporate Employees: 8 Factors When Choosing a Mutual Fund
• Use of Escrow Accounts: Divorce
• Medicare Open Enrollment for Corporate Employees: Cost Changes in 2024!
• Stages of Retirement for Corporate Employees
• 7 Things to Consider Before Leaving Your Company
• How Are Workers Impacted by Inflation & Rising Interest Rates?
• Lump-Sum vs Annuity and Rising Interest Rates
• Internal Revenue Code Section 409A (Governing Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans)
• Corporate Employees: Do NOT Believe These 6 Retirement Myths!
• 401K, Social Security, Pension – How to Maximize Your Options
• Have You Looked at Your 401(k) Plan Recently?
• 11 Questions You Should Ask Yourself When Planning for Retirement
• Worst Month of Layoffs In Over a Year!
• Corporate Employees: 8 Factors When Choosing a Mutual Fund
• Use of Escrow Accounts: Divorce
• Medicare Open Enrollment for Corporate Employees: Cost Changes in 2024!
• Stages of Retirement for Corporate Employees
• 7 Things to Consider Before Leaving Your Company
• How Are Workers Impacted by Inflation & Rising Interest Rates?
• Lump-Sum vs Annuity and Rising Interest Rates
• Internal Revenue Code Section 409A (Governing Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans)
• Corporate Employees: Do NOT Believe These 6 Retirement Myths!
• 401K, Social Security, Pension – How to Maximize Your Options
• Have You Looked at Your 401(k) Plan Recently?
• 11 Questions You Should Ask Yourself When Planning for Retirement
• Worst Month of Layoffs In Over a Year!
9. In January 1937, Earnest Ackerman became the first person in the U.S. to receive a Social Security benefit—a lump sum of 17 cents.

1. Social Security Administration, 2018; CIA World Factbook, 2018
2-5, 7-9. Social Security Administration, 2019
6. Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2018