People shop for groceries at a supermarket in Manhattan on Aug. 25, 2026 in New York City. Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2027 may be around 3.5% to 3.6%, according to new estimates based on government inflation data — which would push the annual adjustment to the…
The K-shaped economy has become shorthand for a widening, persistent economic divide: higher-income Americans pulling further ahead — in wealth, spending and financial security — while many lower-income households struggle to keep up. Now, that shape may be shifting. “I got sick of hearing about this K-shaped economy,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC’s “Squawk…
Suze Orman speaks during AOL’s Build Speaker Series at AOL Studios In New York. Jenny Anderson | WireImage | Getty Images If you want to shore up your finances, experts generally agree on a best first step — building an emergency savings fund. Yet data consistently shows setting aside a meaningful amount of cash to…
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a rally in support of the Biden administration’s student debt relief plan in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Feb. 28, 2023. Drew Angerer | Getty Images Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is pitching a new bill to stop seniors from having money withheld from their Social Security checks…
Incumbent U.S. Rep. John Larson and his campaign staff wait for the results of the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary race, in East Hartford, Connecticut, Aug. 11, 2026. Connecticut Public Broadcasting | Getty Images News | Getty Images Lawmakers elected to Congress in 2026 are likely to be tasked with shoring up Social Security ahead…
A person holds a sign reading “Save Our Social Security” during a rally against President Donald Trump’s tax plan, near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, April 10, 2025. Bryan Dozier | Afp | Getty Images Washington lawmakers have a new deadline by when to fix Social Security‘s retirement trust fund, based on a new annual…
Dny59 | E+ | Getty Images Social Security‘s trust funds may have a bit more runway than expected, according to new long-range projections by the Penn Wharton Budget Model, shared exclusively with CNBC. The trust fund Social Security relies on to help pay retirement benefits — Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, or OASI — may be…
A customer shops for produce in an H-E-B grocery store in Austin, Texas, May 11, 2026. Brandon Bell | Getty Images Consumer prices rose in May, pushing the annual inflation rate to its highest level in three years, according to new government data. That points to a 4.7% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2027, according…
Cars line up outside a food pantry in North Carolina, April 3, 2026. Lindsey Nicholson | UCG | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Consumers are facing price pressures as the costs of groceries and gas rise. The pace of inflation is expected to increase in the coming months, according to the Survey of Professional…
Inflation concerns are spilling into “date-flation” discussions online, as social media users react to a surprising stat: Millennials spend $252, on average, for a date. The figure, which CNBC reported on in April, comes from BMO Financial Group’s 2026 BMO Real Financial Progress Index. The average “all-in” spend on a date in America — including pre-date…
