Social Security retirees received a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). COLAs are periodic raises that are intended to help ensure benefits don’t lose buying power. Since the price of goods and services goes up over time,

On the one hand, that's an increase from the 2.3% projection the group put out earlier in the year. On the other hand, a 2.4% COLA may be upsetting on several levels. Not only would 2.4% be smaller than the 2.5% COLA Social Security beneficiaries received at the start of 2025, but it would also be the smallest COLA to arrive since 2021.

The agency that collects the data used to determine the cost-of-living-adjustment has had to pull back on how much data it uses.