News and Media

Press Release | Social Security Administration Announces 2.8% COLA Increase for 2026

Published: October 24, 2025

After a nine day delay caused by the Federal Government Shutdown, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced a 2.8% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2026, reflecting the rising cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from July through September. This adjustment, alongside updates to other key Social Security data points such as maximum taxable earnings and retirement earnings test thresholds, will affect millions of Americans’ Social Security benefits beginning with benefit payments in January 2026…

Kiplinger | 2026 Social Security COLA is 2.8%: What You Need to Know

Published: October 24, 2025

However, some retirees might find this COLA increase lacking. “A 2.8% increase is modest, especially for retirees whose cost increases may be higher in areas such as health care, housing, or other retirement-specific expenses,” Martha Shedden, co-founder of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, told Kiplinger.

ThinkAdvisor | Even a Shutdown Can’t Stop the Social Security COLA

Published: October 15, 2025

“At the time, Martha Shedden, president and co-founder of NARSSA, an education and advocacy organization, told ThinkAdvisor that she was looking forward to seeing the 2026 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment announced on Oct. 15. Since then, of course, the federal government has entered a shutdown with seemingly no end in sight. The shutdown originally meant that the COLA announcement was to be delayed indefinitely, but top officials at the Bureau of Labor Statistics have since said it will publish the September consumer price index on Oct. 24. COLA, then, will also be calculated that day, Shedden said, much to the relief of the millions of Americans who rely on Social Security checks to help fund their retirements.”

BottomLineInc | Social Security Benefits for Children

Published: October 10, 2025

Bottom Line Personal asked Social Security expert Martha Shedden for details about Social Security benefits for children of disabled parents, retirement age parents, and deceased parents.

San Francisco Chronicle | How the government shutdown could impact the Social Security COLA increase

Published: October 9, 2025

“Martha Shedden, the co-founder and president of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, said she believes Social Security recipients should still expect to get their increase in the new year as scheduled.”

ASPPA | Should Gen Z Care About Social Security?

Published: October 3, 2025

“The youngest people in the workforce belong to Gen Z. Where do they fit in? Martha Shedden, president and co-founder of the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts, says that she hears “a lot” of questioning by members of the youngest generations in the workforce regarding whether Social Security will benefit them. The AARP backs her observation with statistics.”