The wisdom of rules
“Insight is a fair-weather friend. It comes and goes depending on your state of mind. But rules are always there and state-independent. Insight may help you generate returns, but rules help you survive. And you must survive if you want to compound.”
– The anonymous author of The Financial Pen, in a 1/11/26 post. Read more at bit.ly/4kVWt42.
An investor’s battle plan
“Enter the Investment Policy Statement (IPS): not just paperwork, but your battle plan. It defines your goals, pins down your risk tolerance, and hands you clear rules for stormy markets —no matter how “unprecedented” they may feel. By acknowledging that market downturns and periods of uncertainty are inevitable, an IPS helps investors prepare emotionally and financially for the rough patches. By staying focused on long-term objectives and maintaining a diversified portfolio, investors can weather the storms of uncertainty and emerge stronger on the other side.”
– Investing author Larry Swedroe, in a 2/12/26 post on the Banker on Wheels blog. Read more at bit.ly/4aKK8dZ.
Do the old rules still apply?
“Can 20th-century guidelines — directives developed before anyone ever heard of an iPhone, social media...or other staples of life today — really serve the needs of savers and retirees in the more financially complex 21st century? Indeed, do general rules of thumb, no matter when they came to pass, make sense at all, given the big differences between people’s personal situations and goals? The answer is yes, many financial experts say — if you know the right way to apply these principles, update them to reflect current times and adapt them, as needed, to your individual circumstances.”
– Kiplinger deputy editor Diane Harris, in a recent article titled “The New Rules of Retirement.” The article says that common rules of thumb remain good starting points for financial planning, but need to be tailored to a person’s unique situation. Read more at bit.ly/40pLfuS.
Organization is a gift to your heirs
“Untangling someone else’s financial world can feel less like bookkeeping and more like a scavenger hunt. You begin with what appears to be a simple task. Pay a bill. Check an account balance. Look up an insurance policy. Then you realize the information you need is scattered everywhere.”
– Wade Pfau, in a recent article on his blog, Retirement Researcher. Read more at bit.ly/3L6VY9G.
Don’t wait too long
“The more I know about in-retirement spending, the more I think that most people should embrace flexible withdrawal strategies that ebb and flow with a portfolio’s balance, the better to withdraw more of their portfolios during their own lifetimes rather than leave behind big balances after death.”
– Morningstar director of personal finance Christine Benz, in a 1/7/26 article encouraging retirees to spend more instead of passing along so much after they die. Read more at bit.ly/4qtJ4BY.
