Ida Mae Fuller got the first Social Security check in 1940. Now, 85 years later, the last beneficiaries to receive paper Social Security checks will get theirs in the mail in September. President Trump signed an executive order in March requiring Treasury Department payments to be made electronically — eliminating paper checks,

For the first time in 90 years, the average monthly check for retired workers has surpassed a psychologically important level.

The nation’s key program for retiree benefits continues to see financing shortfalls. Unless Congress acts, those drops could lead to payment cuts in eight years.