A person holds a sign reading ‘Save Our Social Security’ in support of fair taxation near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on April 10, 2025. Tax justice advocates attended a rally to speak out against President Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy, and to urge members of Congress to intervene. Bryan Dozier | Afp…
Alistair Berg | Digitalvision | Getty Images For many married women, one of the biggest financial transitions of their lives will come when it’s least welcome: after the death of their spouse. Women, on average, live longer than men — a longevity gap that means many wives will outlive their husbands. At birth, the average…
A mobile billboard with an image of Jeff Bezos calls for higher taxes on the ultrawealthy, in Washington, May 17, 2021. Drew Angerer | Getty Images In 2026, earnings up to $184,500 are subject to Social Security payroll taxes. As of Monday, individuals with $1 million in annual wage and salary earnings have stopped paying…
Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images New laws enacted in 2025 may have a big impact on how much Social Security beneficiaries pay in taxes this season. On Jan. 5, 2025, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, a law that ended provisions that reduced or eliminated Social Security benefits for more than…
Carl Smith | Fstop | Getty Images Social Security benefits are typically adjusted every year to keep up with rising prices. Social Security beneficiaries saw record-high COLAs in 2022 and 2023, when the annual increases climbed to 5.9% and 8.7%, respectively. Yet as the pace of inflation subsided, the size of the annual COLA increase…
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…
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images As Americans prepare for the start of tax season next week, several new tax breaks are on the table as part of President Donald Trump’s “big…
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…
