A 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment increase will mean an extra $50 a month for most Social Security and SSI recipients.

The 2025 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) came in at just 2.5%. That's well under the 3.2% retirees got last year and far less than what many were hoping for. The high inflation over the last few years has made it difficult for retirees to afford their basic expenses,

Social Security has been around for nearly nine decades, but the program has had a major overhaul since then. And now its gearing up for some big changes in 2025 that could affect millions of people.