The same is true for your Social Security card, although for a different reason. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a succinct warning: “Do not laminate your card. Lamination prevents detection of many security features.

In places of Texas that face hurricanes, tornadoes, or sudden floods, losing your wallet can happen when you least expect it. If your Social Security card is tucked away safely at home, that’s one less thing to worry about when you're scrambling to secure your other important belongings.

While we're still a few weeks away from the October announcement, it hasn't stopped experts in the field that follow inflation trends to make predictions for what the 2025 COLA in

The inflation data for August gives us a pretty good idea about the likely magnitude of Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025. This automatic indexing of benefits to keep up with rising prices — always a wonderful feature of our Social Security program — has been particularly valuable in light of the recent bout of inflation.

You can likely expect a raise next year, but it may not go as far as you expect.

The purpose of COLAs is to help Social Security beneficiaries maintain their buying power in the face of inflation. Over time, living costs tend to rise naturally. Keeping Social Security payments stagnant would likely force those who rely on them into poverty through the years.