Here’s why your Social Security check doesn’t go as far as it once did

If you’ve been thinking that your Social Security check doesn’t go as far as it used to, you’re likely not imagining it.

Since 2000, the buying power of monthly benefits has fallen by 34 percent, according to a recent report from the Senior Citizens League, an advocacy group based in Alexandria, Virginia.

In other words, the collective cost of goods and services common among retirees has risen faster than the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, that Social Security recipients get every year.

“People who recently retired might have seen only a [small] decrease in buying power,” said Mary Johnson, a policy analyst for the league. “But those retired for a long time are feeling the cumulative effect of this.”