The CPI-W for January 2018 was 241.919, and for February 2018 it was 242.988
Both are a significant increase over the previous months. It is also significantly higher than the 2017 benchmark average. That average is 239.668
The last three month average for the CPI-W now stands at 241.811
The 2019 COLA will be determined by how much the average for July, August and September 2018 exceeds the 239.668 average for the same months in 2017.
The CPI-W has increased by 2.3% over the last twelve months. The Social Security actuaries estimate an increase of about 3% for 2019.
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Categories: Social Security
Social security increases should be automatic 3-4% every year. Not based on CP-W Index.
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Given SS is going broke as is, how would you suggest that would be paid for?
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Going broke, because they (gov) are spending OUR MONEY. SS belongs to citizens who paid into it. It does not belong to gov for their spending it!!
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They are not spending it. The trust is invested in Treasury bonds that pay interest and starting this year the trust will start redeeming those bonds to keep paying benefits and it will all be used around 2034
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I soooo hope the COLA for 2019 is at the very least 3%, but should be at least 3.6%. How can the United States pay for the living of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS and think that Senior Citizens, who have paid for all of the other people before them for decades, should not have at the VERY MINIMUM a 3.6% increase, and even more to make up for the three (3) years Obama WOULD NOT pay the Senior Citizens a COLA!!! YET, Obama gave the illegal immigrants and refugees and so-called refugees a debit card upon their entrance to our country for their food and shelter, etc., etc., etc., plus the illegal immigrants want the jobs of citizens of this country, and most of them can’t even speak English and do the jobs as well as our own citizens (AND I do not mean this for but a very few countries–the rest of the counties are okay and learn the English and are not ILLEGAL–they come into our country the right way). The American Worker is the best in the world. I hope that President Trump backs the Senior Citizens, because it won’t be toooooo long before the government workers that didn’t want the senior citizens to have a raise or almost no raise, (you government people) will be up for social security yourselves or some kind of pension, and then you too, because you have done the senior citizens dirty now, will also be done dirty when it is your turn, and it will be your own doing!!!
President Trump had said that no illegal immigrants could get anything from our government for their living for at least five (5) years, but I don’t think that has started yet, and can’t wait until it does start!!! Are the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS in these Caravans planning on getting help from the United States???
The 2% COLA I received for this year (2018) was all taken by Medicare Part D, with the exception of $2!!! That WAS NO raise. The COLA needs to be worked so that any medical raise in Medicare can be paid by the government, as the government STOLE THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST TOTALING ABOUT $2.6 TRILLION – JUST THINK, THE CROOKS IN OUR GOVERNMENT STOLE FROM THE SOCIAL SECURITY THAT WE ALL PAID INTO, AND NOW THEY DON’T WANT US TO HAVE ANYTHING–MUST BE PLANNING FOR THE NEW WORLD ORDER, WHERE NONE OF THE 99.99% OF US WILL HAVE ANYTHING, BUT THE CLOTHES ON OUR BACKS AND SOME VERY SMALL STACK-AND-PACK APARTMENTS!!! AND, all the people that have passed way–where is their Social Security going–to the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND/OR INTO THE POCKETS OF THE CROOKS IN OUR GOVERNMENT!!!
The only hope for the Senior Citizens is President Donald J. Trump!!! The crooks in the government even want to take away Social Security and Medicare–they say that younger people can “save on their own,” and there is not much of a chance of that, as we know how the younger people are doing now, which is not good, AND ONLY because of President Trump, more of them have jobs now, which means some of them are doing A LITTLE better, AND ONLY because of President Trump!!! The Obama Administration hurt this county sooooo much, along with a few administrations before Obama!!!
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You are certainly entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. Nobody stole the SS money. There is $2.9 trillion in the trust in the form of Treasury bonds that pay the trust $87 billion a year in interest. The COLA is not determined by any president or by congress, it is a fixed formula. Your info about immigrants is also inaccurate. You might want to read more in the Social Security section of this blog
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Absolutely correct. In my view, the best retirement plan for a working class person is a fully paid off house and no consumer debt. No “smart” phone either. Is it smart to pay that kind of money for a pocket size computer with a screen you can’t even read? My tracfone flip phone works just fine thank you. So does my PC on DSL and not cable.
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I have done the COLA math plenty of times to see if I am ahead or behind in the inflation game and there are inflation calculators that help. I have been retired from the USAF since 1995 and the COLAs help but, they do not keep you even.
My military pension has gone up 63%, thanks to the COLAs. Rent up 107% Food up over 100%, New Car up 115%. The only way to make it in retirement is no debt and adjust spending down. If you do not need it do not buy it. No cable TV, no eating out and drive a 10 year old car that is paid off.
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