Initial data tells us that 2026's COLA may hold up reasonably well to inflation. In November, inflation rose 2.7% annually, ...

Discover what a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) is, how it compensates for inflation, and its impact on Social Security and SSI benefits.

CPI-W stands for the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, one of the key inflation measures that tracks roughly 30% of the U.S. population. It's the measure that ...

For much of 2025, there was one big question on the minds of Social Security recipients: What would their 2026 cost-of-living ...

In most years, Social Security cost of living adjustments increase to keep pace with inflation. The COLA for 2026 increased benefits by 2.8%, higher than the 2.5% increase in 2025. Some argue that ...

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them. If you are retired and you are relying heavily on Social ...

If you don't think Social Security COLAs are keeping pace with inflation, there are at least four reasons you may be right.

Social Security COLAs are tied to CPI-W inflation data from July through September, not to Federal Reserve interest rate decisions. The 2026 COLA is locked at 2.8% and will not change due to recent ...

However, there's no such thing as a negative Social Security COLA. If the CPI-W has a year-over-year decrease during the ...