The Daily Editor

There are many retirees who get most of their income from Social Security. Some retired folks even get 100% of their paycheck from those monthly benefits. For people in this boat, cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) announcements are important.

In 2026, Social Security benefits got a 2.8% COLA. And many seniors are hoping for a more generous raise in the new year.

Even with shares of Tesla (TSLA -1.43%) down over 30% this year, I’m still not ready to buy the stumbling stock. It’s been a brutal 2026 for Tesla’s investors, but the stock is still trading at an incredible premium, with its trailing P/E ratio sitting around 290.

While there has been plenty of dialogue, debate, and even predictions for the U.S. economy in 2026, many of the signals that might indicate the onset of certain economic trends have not quite panned out as anticipated. While stagflation,

Quick Read

• Diversify beyond individual stocks: Combining U.S. and international dividend ETFs reduces geographic concentration while broadening the opportunity set.

• Balance income with growth: High-yield ETFs provide stronger current cash flow, while dividend growth ETFs focus on companies with long histories of increasing shareholder payouts.

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The Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE), the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric over the past 25 years,