The Case of the Other Index

Inspector Hale: inflation 3.7%, Social Security's raise 3.6%. Wren: who decided? The Ledger: the law did; the raise tracks a different index, wage earners' prices (CPI-W); $75 a month on average, for nearly 72 million people from January. Nightjar: different index, different number. Wren: three in four told an AARP survey that 3.5% wasn't enough.

On the day inflation came in at 3.7%, Social Security announced a 3.6% cost-of-living rise for 2027, about $75 a month on the average retirement benefit for nearly 72 million people from January; the figure is set by law from a separate index for wage earners, CPI-W, not the headline number, and in a recent AARP survey 76% said a 3.5% rise would not be enough.

Starring

Inspector HaleWrenThe LedgerNightjar