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

Last month, the Social Security Administration announced that beneficiaries will receive a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2025. In fact, a recent survey conducted by The Motley Fool found that 54% of retired workers believe the 2025 COLA is insufficient.

The idea of depending entirely on Social Security doesn't sit well with me. That's why I'm taking control now by building retirement accounts.

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.

But a 2.5% COLA for 2025 stings because it's the smallest one to arrive in years. At the start of 2024, seniors on Social Security saw their benefits increase by 3.2%. And the year prior, Social Security recipients got a record-breaking 8.7% COLA. So a raise of just 2.5% seems awfully meager by comparison.

Gen Xers say they are worried they may not receive their benefits at retirement age if Social Security funds are depleted.

Last month, the Social Security Administration announced that the next cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be 2.5%. Here's why the average take-home Social Security increase will be roughly 20% lower than they might expect.