Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images At the start of 2025, during President Joe Biden’s final weeks in office, lawmakers pushed forward with last-minute major legislation that provides Social Security benefit increases to certain public pensioners. The Social Security Fairness Act was passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate,…
People line up outside the Social Security Administration office in San Francisco. Getty Images Social Security, the federal social insurance program that millions of Americans rely on for income, faces a shortfall in funding it counts on from its trust funds. But that doesn’t mean the program is going bankrupt or will be entirely unable…
Twenty47studio | Moment | Getty Images Tax changes for 2026 offer new ways for individuals ages 65 and over to plan financially. That is largely due to a new temporary senior “bonus” or deduction of up to $6,000 per qualifying individual that was enacted when President Donald Trump signed the “big beautiful bill” package into…
Ascent/ Pks Media Inc. | Photodisc | Getty Images Many Social Security beneficiaries will soon receive their first benefit checks for 2026. Jan. 14 marks the earliest date beneficiaries can receive January payments, depending on the Social Security Administration’s schedule based on date of birth. Those checks will include a 2.8% benefit boost, thanks to…
Catherine Delahaye | Digitalvision | Getty Images The first 10 drugs subject to new Medicare price negotiations will go into effect on Jan. 1, prompting substantial out-of-pocket savings for certain older Americans who rely on those medications. Enrollees in Medicare Part D prescription drug plans may see their out-of-pocket costs for the negotiated drugs fall…
Alessandro Biascioli | Istock | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries will soon receive statements showing how much of their total benefits received in 2025 may be subject to federal taxes. Changes enacted by Congress this year mean there’s more reason to pay attention to those tax documents. The forms, known as the SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S,…
Richard Stephen | Istock | Getty Images Even before they start receiving Social Security checks, millions of Americans rely on the Social Security Administration for information on when to claim retirement benefits and for help if their Social Security number has been compromised. This week, the House of Representatives passed several bills aimed at improving…
Ascentxmedia | E+ | Getty Images About 75 million Americans will see a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment to their Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits in 2026. The increase is expected to add $56 per month on average to Social Security retirement benefits, according to the Social Security Administration. But other changes — particularly a…
Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images The new 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment doesn’t just increase Social Security checks, starting with January payments — it also boosts thresholds related to the maximum retirement benefit. The maximum Social Security benefit for workers who claim at full retirement age will increase to $4,152 per month in 2026, up…
Even as a record number of Americans are reaching retirement age, many adults have not considered the impact that inflation and Social Security benefits will have on their financial future. A new global survey by Prudential found 89% of wealthy U.S. adults polled said they are confident they’d be able to cover essential costs in…
