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,

The non-partisan advocacy group The Senior Citizens League predicts the 2026 COLA will be 2.1%, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI-W, the index used to calculate the annual increase. December’s CPI-W came in at 2.8%. Getty Images

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced that beneficiaries will get a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2025. The new adjustment will boost the average retirement check by $48 a month,

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.

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.

Most U.S. seniors will have to look to their savings or other government benefits if their Social Security benefits don't go far enough. Americans become eligible to start collecting Social Security retirement benefits as soon as they turn 62,

Social Security in 2025 is poised for significant updates, impacting the benefits retirees rely on. From adjustments to the full retirement age (FRA) to increases in the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA),

According to a recent Social Security COLA survey by The Motley Fool that asked 2,000 retirees about the COLA, 81% of retirees say that the 2025 COLA will not help them keep up with their essential living expenses. And it isn't hard to see why.