Good afternoon. Nearly 20% of retirees say they're struggling financially, and a lot of it traces back to a handful of ordinary habits nobody flags as a problem until the balance shows it. That's where today's issue starts.
On The Money Today:
See where your income really lands for your age
A 16-year-old pension safeguard may vanish in 60 days
One quiet habit can cost retirees years of savings
Let's get into it.
BEHIND THE HEADLINE
The pay gap between men and women by age, back in 2019
This chart shows median earnings by age and gender in 2019. Notice how the gap between men and women grows through the 30s and 40s, then barely closes after that. Keep reading to see today's numbers for your own age group.
INVESTING
The average income of Americans by age in 2026, check where you stand
A new breakdown of median earnings by age group shows exactly where most people stand at every career stage. See how your own numbers compare before you assume you're ahead or behind everyone else.
Why it matters: Comparing yourself to a real benchmark instead of a gut feeling changes what "behind" or "ahead" actually means for your own savings and retirement timeline.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Acorns
Turn everyday purchases into a $20 head start
Most of us barely use cash anymore, so the old trick of saving spare change doesn't really work the way it used to. Acorns found a way to bring it back automatically, no coins or piggy banks required, turning something you're already spending into money working for you without any extra effort on your part.
Every card purchase rounds up to the nearest dollar, and the difference goes into a smart investment portfolio
Just $2.50 in daily round-ups adds up to $900 a year, before your money even starts earning in the market
Set up in under five minutes, with automatic saving from as little as $3 a month
Sign up through our link and set up a recurring investment to get $20 added to your account.
NEWS
A rule protecting $6 trillion in pension money may soon disappear, letting Wall Street donors help pick who manages it
The SEC just proposed scrapping a rule that's kept campaign donations out of the picture when public pension funds choose who manages their money. Once that wall comes down, the firms handling billions in pension dollars could win the job partly on who they gave money to.
Why it matters: Once campaign contributions can influence who manages that money, the fund managers overseeing your pension may be chosen for reasons that have nothing to do with performance.
MUST READ
Some of the most damaging retirement mistakes have nothing to do with the stock market or a bad year. A financial habit hiding in plain sight could be working against your own plan right now, and it's often one that looks harmless on the surface until the math catches up.
Why it matters: These habits chip away at retirement savings slowly, so by the time the damage shows up in an account balance, it's already been compounding for years.
MONEY IQ
Q: What percentage of retirees say claiming Social Security too early was their biggest regret?
ALSO MAKING THE ROUNDS TODAY
INVESTING: Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg are pouring money into an overlooked asset ordinary investors can now buy into for a fraction of what they paid
REAL ESTATE: California condo owners got hit with a $49,000 surprise bill, and your own HOA is legally required to disclose the one number that could have warned them first
NEWS: A woman evicted nearly three dozen times finally got 20 years in prison, so here's how to know your rights if a tenant like her ever stops paying you
MONEY IQ ANSWER: HOW DID YOU DO?
The correct answer is C) 41%. Nearly 2 in 5 retirees say they wish they'd waited longer to claim. Once you lock in an early claim, the reduced payment follows you for the rest of your life, which is exactly what makes the full retirement age deadline this November worth double-checking now rather than after the fact.
That's a wrap for today! Before you go, we'd love to know what you thought of today's newsletter. Hit REPLY if you have more to share — we read every one.
See you soon with another quick roundup of the financial news that matters.
