Major Shift: New Baby Names Suggest High Hopes

Seal of the United States Social Security Administration. It appears on Social Security cards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON – Talk about high expectations for a newborn:  King and Messiah are among the fastest-rising baby names for American boys.

They’re just a little behind Major, the boy’s name that jumped the most spots on the Social Security Administration‘s annual list of popular baby names.

Jacob is the most popular for boys – again – and Sophia is the top name for girls, according to the list released Thursday.

It was Jacob’s 14th straight year at the top. Next were Mason, Ethan, Noah and William. Liam cracked the top 10 for the first time, coming in at No. 6.  Daniel slipped out of the top 10 for the first time since 1998, to No. 11.

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Small Increase Likely In Social Security Benefits

Seal of the United States Social Security Administration. It appears on Social Security cards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON – Social Security recipients shouldn’t expect a big increase in monthly benefits come January.

Preliminary figures show the annual benefit boost will be between 1 percent and 2 percent, which would be among the lowest since automatic adjustments were adopted in 1975. Monthly benefits for retired workers now average $1,237, meaning the typical retiree can expect a raise of between $12 and $24 a month.

The size of the increase will be made official Tuesday, when the government releases inflation figures for September. The announcement is unlikely to please a big group of voters – 56 million people get benefits – just three weeks before elections for president and Congress.

The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is tied to a government measure of inflation adopted by Congress in the 1970s. It shows that consumer prices have gone up by less than 2 percent in the past year.

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No COLA For Social Security Recipients In 2011

For the second consecutive year, the Social Security trustees have determined that a cost-of-living adjustment for social security recipients is not necessary as the cost of living has not increase enough to warrant a raise.  An official announcement is expected on Friday when the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics announces their inflation estimates.