Retirement grading
“After a lifetime of being taught that higher grades mean better results, it’s natural to want the highest possible Monte Carlo score. But improving that number may involve tradeoffs, from spending less to working longer, that don’t necessarily make your retirement better. Retirement planning isn’t about earning an A. It’s about finding the right balance between enjoying the retirement you’ve worked toward and protecting yourself against the financial risks you may encounter along the way.”
– Wade Pfau, in a recent post on his Retirement Researcher blog about Monte Carlo analysis, a mathematical tool commonly used to assess a retirement portfolio’s likelihood of lasting as long as the investor who owns the portfolio will live. Pfau said proper use of it requires a lot of context. Read more at bit.ly/4kk6o4P.
The FORO effect
“People are balancing FOMO, the fear of missing out on enjoying their retirement, with FORO—fear of running out of money.”
– David Blanchett, head of retirement research at Prudential Financial. He was quoted in a 10/15/26 Bloomberg article that said a “bucket strategy” (which SMI has written about several times ) can give retirees more peace of mind about spending. Read more at bit.ly/4BzdFEo.
A bad bet
“I don’t believe anyone gave real long-term consideration of how quickly technology could be developed and used to extract as much money as possible from unsuspecting individuals.”
– Brian O’Dwyer, Chairman of the New York State Gaming Commission. He was quoted in a New York Times article on 10/26/26 about investigations into online gambling companies’ reported use of AI to target repeat customers based on their losses. Read more at bit.ly/4kjWW1l.
“A mist that appears for a little while”
“As we age, may we not cling to the treasures we’ve laid up on earth. Instead, by his Spirit may we live our lives with an open hand and use the gift of aging to grow in our affections for our Savior and to point those around us to our hope in the New Heavens and New Earth where moth and rust can never destroy and where no thief can break in and steal. And, most importantly, to the God who will one day wipe away every tear from our eyes that the sorrows of aging ever brought forth.”
– Zak Mellgren, elder/pastor at Christ the King Church in Kenosha, Wis., in a 10/17/26 post on his blog, The SubZak, about the process of aging and letting go. Read more at bit.ly/4zYCKa5. (The phrase “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” appears in James 4:14.)
