Social Security plays a big role in many people's retirement. Without those benefits, a lot of seniors would not be able to make ends meet.
Once you start collecting Social Security, you may end up getting benefits for 10, 20, or 30 years.
A 70-year-old retiree circled January waiting for the cost-of-living adjustment. The Social Security Administration announced a 2.8% COLA for 2026, which lifted the average retired worker check from about $2,015 a month in 2025 to roughly $2,071 in 2026.