Good morning. It's Thursday, November 5, 2026. Here is a number worth holding onto: Americans age 60 and older reported about 3 billion dollars in fraud losses last year, roughly five times what they lost in 2020.
The thread running through today's news is money, who is sending it, who is receiving it, and who is trying to take it. A government-watched report shows hiring held steady last month.
Social Security beneficiaries are getting word of a raise for next year and one payment that arrives early this month. And overseas, a deadly strike in Ukraine lands just days before new peace talks are set to begin.
We will walk through all of it, calmly and plainly, so you can start the day well informed.
The Top Stories
We begin with Social Security. Because Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, a normal payment date, beneficiaries on the birthday-based Wednesday schedule whose birthdays fall on the 1st through the 10th will be paid one day early, on Tuesday, November 10.
That early shift does not apply to people who began receiving benefits before May 1997 or who receive both Social Security and SSI, who are paid on November 3 as usual. The agency also announced a 3.6 percent cost-of-living raise for 2027, the largest in four years, which will lift the average retired worker's monthly check by about 75 dollars starting in January.
If you draw benefits, build next year's budget around the higher amount. Next, the job market. A major payroll company reported that private employers added 86,000 jobs in October, a bit more than forecasters expected and in line with September.
Steady hiring is a sign that employers are still bringing on workers, which matters whether you are still working or living on savings. Finally, overseas. Ukrainian officials say a Russian strike on a humanitarian aid site in the Zaporizhzhia region killed at least 40 people, with dozens still missing, just days before new peace talks.
Conflict half a world away can still reach your kitchen table through the price of fuel and food.
Washington & the Nation
The Federal Trade Commission told Congress last month, in a report dated October 19, that Americans age 60 and older reported about 3 billion dollars in fraud losses in 2025. That is up from 2.4 billion dollars the year before, and roughly five times what older adults reported losing in 2020.
Because so much fraud goes unreported, the agency estimates the true total could run far higher, somewhere between 13.3 billion and 119.5 billion dollars. Investment scams did the most damage, topping 1 billion dollars and rising 42 percent in a single year.
These schemes often start with an online ad or a message from someone posing as a financial adviser. A small group of large losses drove much of the harm. Only 6 percent of older victims lost 100,000 dollars or more, yet those cases accounted for 70 percent of the total.
The number of people reporting six-figure losses jumped from about 1,100 in 2020 to nearly 6,800 last year. The lesson is simple. Slow down, verify who you are dealing with, and never move money because someone is rushing you.
Around the World
Ukrainian officials say a Russian strike on Monday hit a humanitarian aid site in the village of Komyshuvakha, in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, and the death toll has risen to at least 40 people. Dozens more are still missing.
Officials say the site was an underground shelter at a local school that was being used to hand out aid, and that people had gathered there to collect supplies. Among the dead were four police officers and two rescue workers.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it had targeted Ukrainian military units in the area, and both sides deny deliberately striking civilians. The timing is notable. The United States is preparing to host delegations from Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11 to discuss ending the war and arranging postwar security.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking during a visit to Germany, pointed to the strike as a sign that Moscow is not yet ready to ease the fighting. For now, the guns have not gone quiet, even as diplomats prepare to meet.
Your Money
Stocks moved higher across the board in delayed trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose, the broad S&P 500 gained ground, the technology-heavy Nasdaq climbed, and the Russell 2000, which tracks smaller companies, also finished up.
Gold edged higher, a sign that some investors are still looking for safety. Oil slipped lower, which could mean a little relief at the gas pump in the weeks ahead. Underneath the numbers, the payroll report showed base pay for workers rose 3.2 percent over the past year, with total pay up 4.7 percent.
The government releases its own October jobs report on Friday, and economists expect it to show about 59,000 new jobs. For retirees, lower oil is welcome, and steady wages suggest the economy is neither overheating nor stalling.
If you hold stocks or mutual funds, remember that a single up day is just that. Keep your eyes on the longer road, not on one morning's ticker, and review your mix of savings and income with a trusted adviser before making big changes.
Health & You
Flu season is here, and the shot you choose matters more after 65. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention again recommends that adults 65 and older get one of three stronger options: a high-dose vaccine, an adjuvanted vaccine, or a recombinant vaccine.
These are preferred over a standard flu shot because studies suggest they work better for older bodies, which tend to build a weaker response to a regular dose. The stakes are real.
In the 2024 to 2025 flu season, the CDC estimates that adults 65 and older accounted for 57 percent of flu hospitalizations and 71 percent of flu deaths. If your pharmacy or clinic does not have one of the three preferred shots on hand, do not wait.
Health officials say it is better to get any age-appropriate flu vaccine than to delay and risk getting sick while you shop around. Medicare Part B covers the flu shot, and you pay nothing when your provider accepts Medicare assignment.
Ask for one of the preferred vaccines by name at the counter.
One Good Thing
Here is a bright spot to carry into the week. Next Wednesday, November 11, the nation pauses for Veterans Day, a time set aside to thank the men and women who served in uniform.
Across the country, towns will hold parades, schools will invite veterans to speak, and families will visit memorials and cemeteries to lay flowers and flags. Many restaurants and businesses have a long tradition of offering free meals and discounts to veterans and active service members on that day, a small thank-you for a large sacrifice.
If you served, this is your day, and you have earned the gratitude. If you know someone who served, a father, a neighbor, an old friend, consider picking up the phone this week.
A simple thank-you, spoken plainly, still means a great deal. Some good things need no headline to matter.
On This Day
In 1605, Guy Fawkes was arrested as the Gunpowder Plot to blow up the English Parliament was foiled. In 1872, Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting in the United States presidential election in Rochester, New York.
In 1913, Vivien Leigh, British actress. In 1941, Art Garfunkel, American singer. (From the 50PlusHub Nostalgia archive.)
That is the briefing for Thursday, November 5. Before we part, one practical thought. The single best defense against fraud is time. Scammers work by creating panic, a wire that must go out now, a gift card that must be bought today, a grandchild who needs cash this minute.
Honest institutions do not work that way. So when a call or a message rushes you, hang up, take a breath, and check with someone you trust before you move a single dollar.
And if you are on the birthday-based schedule and your birthday falls in the first ten days of the month, your Social Security payment lands early, on Tuesday the 10th. Thank you for spending part of your morning with us.
Take care of one another, and we will see you back here tomorrow. I'm Alex, and this has been The Daily Briefing.
Sources
- Social Security Administration, Social Security Announces 3.6 Percent Benefit Increase for 2027, SSA.gov (2026)
- ADP Research, ADP National Employment Report: Private-Sector Employment Increased by 86,000 Jobs in October, ADP (2026)
- Federal Trade Commission, Protecting Older Consumers 2025-2026: A Report to Congress, FTC (2026)
- Al Jazeera, Ukraine Raises Death Toll From Russian Strike on Zaporizhia to 40 People, Al Jazeera (2026)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Who Needs a Flu Vaccine, CDC (2026)
- U.S. Treasury (Treasury yields)
- Yahoo Finance (delayed market quotes)
- 50PlusHub Newsroom