Retirement

3 Year-End Retirement Moves to Start Thinking About for 2026

Financial Planning, Retirement, Taxes

There are only a few weeks left in 2026, and while you’ve probably got a lot on your mind, it’s important not to lose track of key year-end retirement planning moves that could make your future a lot more comfortable. Some actions, like maxing out your IRA, can wait until the April tax filing deadline, but for others, you only have until Dec. 31, 2026.

All adults 73 and older must take required minimum distributions (RMDs) from their tax-deferred retirement accounts each year and pay taxes on them. Those who will be 74 or older by the end of the year must complete theirs by Dec. 31, 2026. Seniors who turned 73 this year have until April 1, 2027.

Source: 3 Year-End Retirement Moves to Start Thinking About for 2026 | The Motley Fool

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The Bar None Wranglers, a band of retirees in St. George, Utah, performing

For retirees, picking up a hobby could be the best thing for your mental health

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Retirement

Most of the Wranglers are retired and never imagined picking up an instrument could bring this much joy. Davis put it simply: “Whatever your passion is, do it — and it doesn’t matter how many birthdays you have.”

Source: For retirees, picking up a hobby could be the best thing for your mental health | KSL.com

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The Social Security COLA for 2027 is set. Here’s what experts say you need to know

Financial Planning, Retirement, Social Security

Social Security checks will increase by roughly $76 per month for the average retired worker in 2027, the federal government announced Wednesday.

The payment jump is due to the Social Security Administration’s annual COLA, or cost-of-living adjustment, which has been determined each fall for decades. Next year’s increase is 3.6%, based on inflation data, amounting to a little more than $900 next year.

“The COLA is really one of the only things in most people’s retirement portfolios that is inflation-adjusted,” said Bill Sweeney, senior vice president for government affairs at AARP.

Source: The Social Security COLA for 2027 is set. Here’s what experts say you need to know | PBS News

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9 Habits for a Happy Retirement

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Retirement

Most people think that planning for a happy retirement is all about numbers. It centers on one question: Do my financial assets — pensions, 401(k)s/IRAs, Social Security, property, the sale of a business, etc. — provide enough income to fund my desired retirement lifestyle?

Ask any retiree, and they’ll likely tell you that’s only half the story. Having enough money to never worry about going broke or paying for medical expenses is important, but money isn’t the only — or even the most important — part of a fulfilling retirement. While you’re reviewing your retirement checklist, it’s also essential to focus on all those things money can’t buy, like these nine happy habits that studies show can improve life satisfaction in retirement.

Source: 9 Habits for a Happy Retirement | Kiplinger

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How We Pace a Trip After 60 | Have Time Will Travel

Lifestyle, Retirement, Travel

In September 2026, Linda and I joined two other couples on Insight Vacations’ Wonders of the American West tour: seven national parks, nine nights, and 2,016 coach miles. We loved the scenery and the company. But changing hotels every one or two days meant living out of a suitcase, and by the end we knew a more settled pace suits us better.

We still enjoy seeing new places. What has changed is how much we want to fit into a day, and how much moving around we’re willing to do to get there. We would rather have a few relaxed experiences than race through a list of sights. We want time to enjoy a destination, linger over lunch, and still have energy for drinks and dinner.

That’s what works for the two of us, not necessarily for you. Some travelers love early starts and full days, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The point is to plan around the way you actually like to travel. Here are the choices that make the difference for us.

Source: How We Pace a Trip After 60

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How proactive retirement planning turns savings into a retirement paycheck – KTAR.com

Financial Planning, Retirement

For decades, Americans are encouraged to work, save and build a retirement nest egg. But when retirement finally arrives, the focus shifts from accumulating money to figuring out how to use it.

According to Matt Dages, founder and CEO of Bright Wealth Management, that transition is one of the most overlooked parts of retirement planning.

“That transition is widely overlooked in the aspect of tax planning and income planning and what changes when you start going from collecting a paycheck every two weeks, once a month, whenever you’re getting paid, to then all of a sudden you have to create your own paycheck on a regular basis from your investments

Source: How proactive retirement planning turns savings into a retirement paycheck – KTAR.com

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a man standing on top of a lush green hillside next to the ocean

Best Hobbies to Take Up in Retirement for a Fuller Life

Lifestyle, Retirement

If you’re getting ready to retire—or if you’ve already made the big leap—falling into the rhythm of a new routine can take a while. A sudden bounty of free time, even if it’s long-planned, might leave you feeling a little unmoored.

While sitting back and enjoying a well-deserved rest matters, taking up a new hobby (or rediscovering an old one) can inject joy and fulfillment into your life, sometimes in unexpected ways. 

Source: Best Hobbies to Take Up in Retirement for a Fuller Life

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You Don’t Have to Suffer to Retire Well — 5 Things the ‘Deprivation’ Crowd Gets Wrong

Behavioral Finance, Financial Planning, Retirement

Kevin O’Leary has some retirement advice making the rounds again: start practicing being poor. “Lose the car. Lose the cable. Maybe even lose the cat,” the Shark Tank star wrote. His logic? “Get used to deprivation before you’re deprived.” (1)

I’ve been a CPA since 1981, with more than four decades of running retirement numbers behind me. I’m also 71, and we have two cats: Jagger and Sargent Pepper. Neither of my fluffy friends is going anywhere —

Source: You Don’t Have to Suffer to Retire Well — 5 Things the ‘Deprivation’ Crowd Gets Wrong

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The Missing Piece of Retirement Planning: Why Your Health May Be Your Greatest Financial Asset

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Retirement

FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Aug. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — According to the Pew Research Center, only around 26% of US adults feel very confident that they will have enough income and assets to last throughout their retirement years. People are used to getting a lot of information about retirement planning that focuses on the numbers, but rarely about what an incredible asset good health can be.

Source: The Missing Piece of Retirement Planning: Why Your Health May Be Your Greatest Financial Asset

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Woman protests with sign: "hands off my social security".

Senators introduce bipartisan plan to tackle Social Security insolvency – CBS News

Financial Planning, Retirement, Social Security

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill on Tuesday designed to shore up Social Security’s finances in the coming decades and prevent future benefit cuts for the 70 million Americans who rely on the program.

The bill comes after last month’s annual Social Security trustees’ report projected that the program’s retirement trust fund could become insolvent by 2032, earlier than initially forecast. If that occurs, it would trigger a 22% across-the-board benefit cut

Source: Senators introduce bipartisan plan to tackle Social Security insolvency – CBS News

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How Wealthy Retirees Can Overcome Their Fear of Spending | Kiplinger

Behavioral Finance, Financial Planning, Retirement

Some of the most financially anxious retirees aren’t the ones who failed to save. They’re the ones who did almost everything right.

They built the portfolio, paid off the home, delayed gratification and made thoughtful decisions for decades. Then retirement arrives, and something surprising happens: The spreadsheet says they’re secure, but they still don’t feel free.

Source: How Wealthy Retirees Can Overcome Their Fear of Spending | Kiplinger

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How Long Does It Take A Make Friend In Retirement?

Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Retirement

Most investors understand that wealth compounds over time. What fewer people appreciate is that friendship does, too, and the return on that investment may be just as consequential for a fulfilling retirement.

As a wealth manager and retirement researcher, I spend a great deal of time analyzing what separates the happiest retirees from those who struggle. The answer isn’t always a bigger portfolio. It often comes down to community. The data are clear,

Source: How Long Does It Take A Make Friend In Retirement?

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A man sitting at a desk using a cell phone

5 Money Moves to Make Now If You Want to Retire in 10 Years | Morningstar

Behavioral Finance, Lifestyle, Retirement

Valentina Djeljosevic: Hi, I’m Valentina Djeljosevic. Welcome to the second episode in a new miniseries for Morningstar called Your Retirement Countdown. In this four-part series, we’re sitting down with Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning.

We’re talking about the key things you need to do to retire comfortably based on how far away your retirement start date is, whether it’s 25 years away, five years away, or just one year away. In today’s episode,

Source: 5 Money Moves to Make Now If You Want to Retire in 10 Years | Morningstar

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The ‘Shadow’ in Evolution That Explains Why Long Life Comes at a Cost : ScienceAlert

Health & Fitness, Retirement

The world’s population is shifting. We’re living longer than ever before, with elderly people taking up a greater proportion of the people on the planet.

And yet those extra years aren’t necessarily being enjoyed in good health.

So how do these shifts interact with what we know about genetics and evolution? How might old age – a relatively recent concept, in the history of Homo sapiens – change our species?

And is the association between getting older and being less healthy inevitable?

Source: The ‘Shadow’ in Evolution That Explains Why Long Life Comes at a Cost : ScienceAlert

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white concrete building

This State Was Just Named Best in the U.S. for Retirement—and No, It’s Not Florida or Arizona

Retirement

Retirees (and those approaching retirement age) face plenty of decisions—how to spend all that increased free time, where to plan the next unforgettable trip, and the best place to call home for the next several years. One of those questions is a bit trickier than the others to answer, and has a greater impact on all the other choices you make for your retirement years.

Among the many factors to consider when contemplating a retirement relocation: the local quality of life, access to excellent health care, and overall affordability based on your personal financial situation.

Source: This State Was Just Named Best in the U.S. for Retirement—and No, It’s Not Florida or Arizona

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