By now, all seniors on Social Security should have gotten their first checks for 2025. With the latest 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in effect, the average benefit has climbed to $1,976 per month. That's about $49 higher than the average in December 2024.

Social Security benefits received a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2025, but for many retirees, this is not enough to keep up with rising prices. Their monthly checks don't go as far as they used to,

Data from TSCL’s 2024 Senior Survey shows 62% of older Americans worry their retirement income won’t even cover essentials such as groceries and medical bills. Will 2026's COLA increase help?

But based on recent data, it's clear that 2025's Social Security COLA is already failing to keep up with inflation. If things don't turn around, many retirees could end up struggl

If you receive Social Security benefits, you are getting a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) this year. This means your retirement benefits check is going to be bigger than it was before. That's the good news.

For retirees, healthcare expenses are unavoidable and increasingly unaffordable. Fidelity Research says a 65-year-old retiring in 2024 can expect to spend an average of $165,000 on healthcare and medical expenses throughout retirement — a 5% jump over the previous year and more than double 2002’s estimate.

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment officially goes into effect in December of each year -- so technically speaking, the 2.5% adjustment was the 2024 COLA. However, Social Security benefits are paid one month in arrears, so the December benefit is the monthly payment that is physically received in January.

When you are on  Social Security, you can expect your retirement benefits to increase during most years. That’s because Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) typically happen automatically from year to year.

Recipients of Social Security received an increase in benefits in 2025, as they do every year. However, new economic data and policies could spell trouble.