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The Money Overview

Social Security & Medicare

Social Security’s raise tracks workers’ costs, not retirees’, shortchanging seniors again in 2027

Roughly 70 million Social Security beneficiaries will receive their 2027 cost-of-living adjustment based on a price index designed for urban wage earners and clerical workers, not for retirees. The 2026 COLA of 2.8 percent was calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, a formula that has tracked working households’ […]

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Social Security & Medicare

Social Security’s raise tracks workers’ costs, not retirees’, shortchanging seniors again in 2027

Roughly 70 million Social Security beneficiaries will receive their 2027 cost-of-living adjustment based on a price index designed for urban wage earners and clerical workers, not for retirees. The 2026 COLA of 2.8 percent was calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, a formula that has tracked working households’ […]

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Banking & Credit Cards

Fraud & Scams

A phone-scam ring drained more than $5 million from 400 older Americans before agents shut it down

Thirteen people have been charged for running a phone-based “grandparent scam” that stole more than $5 million from over 400 older Americans, most of them...

Bank Accounts & Fees

A payable-on-death beneficiary lets a bank account skip probate and reach heirs directly

Bank account holders who add a payable-on-death beneficiary to their deposit agreements create a direct transfer channel that bypasses probate court entirely. Three states, Massachusetts,...

Fraud & Scams

A Florida woman lost $200,000 to scammers before police staged a sting to catch the courier at her door

A Florida woman handed over $200,000 in cash to scammers who contacted her through fraudulent calls and electronic messages before local police set up a...

Bank Accounts & Fees

Banks must make at least $225 of a deposited check available the next business day under federal rules

Anyone who deposits a check at a bank or credit union is protected by a federal floor that limits how long the institution can withhold...

Fraud & Scams

Government impersonation scams drained nearly $798 million last year, and no real agency demands gift cards

Americans lost $789 million to government impersonation scams in 2024, part of a record $12.5 billion in total reported fraud losses that year. The Federal...

Fraud & Scams

A free credit freeze at all three bureaus blocks new-account fraud

Any consumer in the United States can place a credit freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at no cost, blocking lenders from viewing the frozen...

Retirement & Taxes