Means Test

A means test is any requirement that takes a person's income or wealth into account. Very different from a Mean Girls test, which would probably just make you cry, like the little girl that you are.

A lot of other social programs have a means test. If you make more than a certain amount, you can’t get food stamps. Also, many college scholarships take family finances into account and disqualify applicants with too much money.

Meanwhile, your level of wealth doesn’t matter when it comes to Social Security. Warren Buffett and your uncle who lives in a tent and subsists on expired cat food both get the same Social Security checks. Or, to put it another way, there is no means test.