The average Social Security benefit is approaching $2,000 per month for the first time. You'd think that would provide a comfortable supplement to personal savings for typical retirees, but it's often not the case.

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2025 is a 2.5% increase. That means the monthly benefits checks for more than 72.5 million Americans will see their lowest annual bump in four years. While the smaller COLA is due to the normalization of annual inflation rates, many beneficiaries are concerned.

As inflation begins to cool, the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025 has been set at 2.5%. This increase, although modest compared to the previous years, is a crucial lifeline for retirees,

We're just days away from the first Social Security checks of 2025. The average retiree will get $49 more compared to last month, bringing the average benefit to $1,976 per monthly check. Some people may see even larger increases, and the wealthiest beneficiaries will take home a whopping $5,108 per month.