Smart Money Guide

  Your 2027 Social Security raise is already decided — a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announced by the Social Security Administration (SSA) on October 14, 2026, worth an average of about $75 more a month for retirees. But the letter that tells you YOUR exact new amount follows a deadline most people have never heard of: November 18, 2026. Miss it, and you wait weeks longer to see your number. Hit it, and you see your raise online before almost anyone gets a paper letter. What the 3.6% raise means for your check The 3.6% COLA applies to Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability benefits, and to Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The timing splits two ways: Social Security benefits: the higher amount applies to benefits for December 2026, which are payable in January 2027. Your January 2027 deposit is the first one with the raise. SSI: increased payments to about 7.3 million SSI recipients begin December 31, 2026 — because January 1 is a holiday, the J...

November is deadline month. Miss one date and you could lose health coverage, pay a penalty, or leave free money on the table. Here are the seven dates that matter most this month — and what to do about each one before it passes. 1. November 1 — ACA Open Enrollment Opens The Affordable Care Act open enrollment window runs from November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027. From tomorrow, you can enroll in a 2027 health plan, switch plans, or renew your current coverage. If you buy insurance through the marketplace, this is your window — after January 15, you will need a qualifying life event to enroll. Read the full guide: ACA Open Enrollment 2027: 7 Smart Moves Before Nov 1 2. December 15 — The Date That Decides Your January Coverage Enroll by December 15 and your coverage starts January 1, 2027. Enroll between December 16 and January 15 and your coverage starts February 1 instead What happens if you miss it: Missed the Dec 15 ACA Deadline? Here's What Happens Next (and Your Jan 15 Backup)...

If you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and you are looking at your November calendar wondering where your check went, here is the reassuring answer first: your November SSI payment is not missing, and it has not been cut. It arrives early — on Friday, October 30, 2026. That is why October holds two SSI deposits, and November holds none. It is a calendar shift, not a benefit change. Why October 30, Not November 1 SSI is normally paid on the 1st of the month. But November 1, 2026 is a Sunday. Under the Social Security Administration's rule, when a scheduled payment date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the payment is made on the business day before. So November's SSI moves back to Friday, October 30. The same rule explains the other date shift this month, for regular Social Security (see the table below): Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, is a federal holiday, so the payment for people born on the 1st–10th of the month moves one day earlier, to...

It's official: Social Security checks are going up in January. On October 14, the Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2027 — the biggest raise since the 8.7% jump in 2023, and well above this year's 2.8%. 🎬 Watch the 40-second version on YouTube Shorts But the headline number isn't the one that matters. Whether this raise actually helps you depends on three other numbers: what your benefit is today, what Medicare Part B will charge in 2027 (still unknown), and whether the extra income quietly pushes more of your benefit into taxable territory. Here's the announcement in plain English, what your January check will actually look like, and the 5 moves to make before the new year. The Announcement in 30 Seconds 3.6% COLA for 2027 , announced by the Social Security Administration on October 14, 2026. It applies to Social Security benefits and SSI — roughly 76 million Americans in total (about 72 million Social Se...