With fewer Part D plans and a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap, beneficiaries must rethink their Medicare drug coverage for 2025. Medicare expert Jae Oh shares what’s new and how to adjust.

With a little more than a month before the 2025 COLA kicks in, here's what you should know about the upcoming adjustment.

Social Security's annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are calculated based on how inflation changes in the third quarter, the three-month period from July through September. In this scenario, inflation is measured using a subset of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) known as the CPI-W.

But when we look back at the data, it becomes clear that a 2.5% Social Security COLA isn't so terrible. In fact, it's a lot more generous than some of the COLAs beneficiaries have seen in the past. In 2024, Social Security benefits rose by 3.2%. The year prior, they increased by 8.7%. And in 2022, a 5.9% COLA came through.

A Social Security cost of living increase offers retirees options such as managing costs, saving or enjoying small splurges.

Maximum benefits increase too, and in 2025, the maximum benefit will exceed $5,000 for the first time. It came close in 2024 with a maximum benefit of $4,873. But next year's top Social Security beneficiaries will receive $5,108 per month. That's nearly $62,000 annually.

Last month, the Social Security Administration revealed that benefits will receive a 2.5% COLA increase in 2025

Starting in January 2025, Social Security beneficiaries will see a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), marking the smallest increase since 2021. This modest adjustment reflects a positive

Seniors awaiting bigger Social Security checks next year may be shocked to discover higher Medicare premiums will eat up a chunk of their cost-of-living adjustment.

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