Sent to clients Friday, October 9, 2026 · by Dan Casey
Three things worth your time this week, and none of them require you to do anything today.
1. Hiring nearly stalled in September
Employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, well short of expectations, and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%. Wage growth kept slowing and continued to lag inflation, according to the government's report released Oct. 2. For someone retired or close to it, the labor market matters mostly secondhand: it is one of the inputs the Fed weighs, and Fed decisions eventually show up in CD rates, bond yields, and what your cash earns.
2. Your 2027 Social Security raise arrives Oct. 14, and Medicare season opens the next day
The Social Security Administration will announce the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment on Oct. 14, right after the September inflation data. Separately, the standard Medicare Part B premium is projected at $209.50 a month in 2027, up from $202.90 this year, and Medicare open enrollment runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. Part B usually comes straight out of the Social Security check, so the raise you actually keep is the COLA minus whatever Medicare takes back.
3. Stocks hit records while the Fed leans the other direction
The S&P 500 closed at a record 7,818.93 on Oct. 6, with the Nasdaq also setting an all-time high, before pulling back midweek. That is happening after the Fed raised its benchmark rate in September to a 3.75%–4% range, its first increase since 2023, with inflation still running above its target. Records are pleasant, and they are also a reminder that the number on your statement is a different question from where next year's income comes from.
What this means for you
None of this changes the basic job, which is knowing which dollars you need in the next three to five years and which dollars can sit still and ride out noise. Money with a near-term job should not depend on what the Fed does at its Oct. 27–28 meeting or what the market did on a Tuesday. The COLA number and the Part B number land within a few weeks of each other, and together they set your real 2027 cash flow, so they are worth writing down side by side rather than reading about separately. The IRS is also expected to publish its 2027 inflation-adjusted brackets and standard deduction shortly, and knowing where your own income sits against those lines is the kind of thing we look at in a review.
If you want to talk to Dan, book a time here.
Sources: BLS September jobs report via SHRM, Oct. 2, 2026; Washington Post, Oct. 2, 2026; Yahoo Finance, Oct. 5, 2026; AARP Medicare Part B 2027 projection, Oct. 5, 2026; TheStreet market wrap, Oct. 6, 2026; CNBC Fed rate decision, Sept. 16, 2026.
This update is educational and is not investment, tax, or legal advice. Investment advisory services offered through Bridgeriver Advisors LLC, a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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