Wednesday's Inflation Report Will Lock In Social Security's 2027 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). Here's the Number to Watch.

The October 14 CPI report will determine Social Security's 2027 COLA, which is projected to be around 3.5% based on July and August CPI-W data. This would increase the average retired worker's monthly benefit from $2,088 to approximately $2,161, an increase of $73 per month. However, critics argue CPI-W doesn't fully capture retirees' actual inflation costs, particularly healthcare.