CPI

9 Things to Look for in the President’s Budget

Posted on 04/9/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

PoliticsThe GOP-controlled House of Representatives approved a budget proposal first. Then came a very different document from the Democratic-controlled Senate. Now thousands more pages of numbers will land with a thud on Capitol Hill on April 10. It’s the president’s annual budget proposal. Unless you’re an underemployed CPA or an incurable policy wonk, you probably won’t want to wade through all that. So here’s a short checklist of what you should watch for in the budget: A chained CPI. This twist on …

New Inflation Gauge Would Cut Benefits, Hike Taxes

Posted on 12/4/2012 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsBy Stephen Ohlemacher, The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Tweaking the way the government measures inflation sounds like an obscure method to help reduce budget deficits, but over time it would lead to significantly lower Social Security benefits while increasing taxes, mainly on low- and middle-income families. If adopted across the government, the change would have far-reaching effects because so many programs are adjusted each year based on year-to-year changes in consumer prices. It would mean smaller annual increases in …

Measly Social Security COLA Announced for 2013

Posted on 10/16/2012 by | Money and Work | Comments

Bulletin Today | Money & SavingsYou won’t be rolling in dough with next year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment at 1.7 percent — about $21 a month more for people collecting the average retirement benefit of $1,236. [See our full story on the COLA]. Some 56 million beneficiaries will see the increase in their payments beginning in January. It’s one of the lowest since Social Security COLAs were adopted in 1975. Not to add insult to injury, but that $21 is likely to be reduced by a …

Social Security Recipients Can Expect Tiny COLA

Posted on 10/10/2012 by | Money and Work | Comments

Bulletin Today | Money & SavingsSocial Security recipients, don’t get your hopes up. Next year’s cost-of-living adjustment will raise benefits by 1.5 percent to 1.7 percent starting in January, about half of this year’s 3.6 percent hike, according to an estimate from the American Institute for Economic Research. Economists at the AIER made their prediction less than two weeks before the Social Security Administration announces the official COLA on Oct. 16. The COLA won’t be enough to cover higher prices for food and other everyday purchases, …