Many retirement plans are built on a quiet assumption: that spending stays roughly the same from year one to year thirty. It sounds reasonable. But research suggests it's not how retirement actually works — and planning around that assumption might create more anxiety than it prevents. The Retirement Fear That Can Hold People Back Running out of money consistently ranks as one of the top retirement fears in national surveys.¹ That fear is understandable. But...

The Federal Reserve is now expected to hold the benchmark short-term interest rate in the range of 3.50% to 3.75% at its September Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. The July economic data, which included a decline in monthly job creation and an easing in the pace of price growth, significantly decreased the odds of a rate hike at the next meeting. Investors should note that the Fed was scheduled to hold its annual economic...

What do you do when you earn well and have generally dialed in the fundamentals: save, invest, reduce debt, stay protected? The challenge was never knowing what to do. It's knowing what to do first, and in what order. That's a harder question than it looks. Each of these priorities is sound on its own. Max out the retirement contributions. Pay down the balances. Build the cushion. Put money to work in the market. But...