CPI-W
Iran, Oil Proces, and COLA…The Speculation is in Full Force
Even though we’re a long, long way from the mechanics of 2027’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment calculation, the COLA watch has begun. For example, a post yesterday on msn.com trumpeted this headline, “Oil shock may spike 2027 Social Security boost,”…
The impact of higher oil prices on Social Security
If the current tensions continue, seniors may see a larger cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2027. Why? If oil prices continue to rise due to the war, this may lead to an increase in overall inflation numbers. Since Energy costs are…
More Perspective on the 2026 2.8% COLA
Yes, the 2026 adjustment is more than last year’s increase and, yes, it represents the fifth consecutive year of at least a 2.5 percent increase, something that hasn’t happened in about three decades. But all that aside, how does the 2026…
Understanding the 2026 Social Security COLA: What Seniors Need to Know
After weeks of anticipation and a two-week delay, the Social Security Administration has announced the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026. Beginning in January, recipients will see a 2.8 percent increase in their monthly benefit payments. This yearly adjustment is meant…
Why COLA estimates are often wrong
You may have seen the headlines on the latest estimates for the 2026 cost-of-living adjustments (COLA); however, do you know how Social Security calculates it? COLAs are based on increases in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and…
Changes in data collection could affect 2026 COLA calculation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently eliminated three cities from the data sampling used to calculate its inflation numbers. Is this a big deal, and could it affect the calculation of Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026 (and beyond)? According…
The 2025 COLA’s Here, But There’s Continued Disappointment
An uptick in the inflation rate since the determination of 2025’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) indicates that the 2.5% benefit increase may have underestimated the growth in prices facing Americans last year. The Motley Fool’s Trevor Jennewine offers conjecture…
Social Security’s 2025 COLA, and a “World of Distress”
The 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment is a welcomed boost for Social Security beneficiaries; that’s a given. And the fact that this adjustment reflects a lessening of the inflationary pressures that have weighed on the economy for the past four years is…
COLA Watch 2025…But It’s Still Almost Six Months Away
Projections on what the January 2025 cost-of-living benefit adjustment will look like are beginning to hit the media airwaves. Here’s one preliminary assessment from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), courtesy of CPA Practice Advisor, forecasting the possibility of a 2.6%…
Changing how COLA is calculated
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced the bill “Under the Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act (S. 3974), which would change the calculation of the yearly Social Security cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) by switching from the Consumer Price Index Urban Wage…