In October, the SSA officially announced a COLA (2) of 3.6% for 2027, based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) index over the past 12 months. For some vulnerable seniors, 3.6% might not be enough. After all, the average price of gasoline is up 34.2%, electricity is up 4.4% and the cost of eating out is up 3.5% over the 12 months ended in September, per CNBC (3). This could be why 76% of seniors surveyed by AARP (4) said a 3.5% COLA (the survey was based on forecasts) would be insufficient.