Good afternoon. Every one of today's stories comes down to the same theme: building wealth. Some moves get you closer, some hold you back, and today's stories help you tell which is which.
On The Money Today:
The purchase almost every retiree ends up regretting
The real net worth cutoff for being "wealthy" in retirement
The one habit genuinely wealthy Americans have in common, and it's not what you'd guess
Let's get into it.
MANAGING MONEY
Retirement is supposed to feel like the reward you've earned, not a fresh set of regrets. But financial planners say a few common big-ticket buys can quietly undercut decades of saving, sometimes forcing steep tradeoffs later. Some of these might already be sitting in your driveway or your portfolio.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Goldco
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RETIREMENT PLANNING
Baby Boomers are sitting on more collective wealth than any generation in history, which makes the traditional idea of "rich" a moving target. The real threshold might be higher than you'd guess, and there's a decent chance some of your peers are already past it. Here's where the actual cutoffs land.
FEATURE
The wealthiest people you know might not be the ones who look it. Financial researchers have spotted a consistent pattern in how genuinely wealthy Americans actually spend, save and invest, and it has almost nothing to do with what you'd expect. A few of these habits take minutes to start.
MONEY IQ
How long does the average new car loan run today?
ALSO MAKING THE ROUNDS TODAY
INVESTING: A 23-year-old inherited $450K and parked all of it in a CD, and Dave Ramsey explains the move that could have made five times more
INVESTING: A defense-tech billionaire warns American companies have been "hollowed out" by their dependence on China
NEWS: A CBS correspondent who's covered scams for years nearly emptied his own bank account for a stranger on the phone before one thought stopped him
MANAGING MONEY: She's living on $2,000 a month in Social Security while her ex sits on millions, and lawyers say she has real options to make him pay
MONEY IQ ANSWER: HOW DID YOU DO?
The answer is: C) 69 months — Car loans used to be a five-year commitment. Not anymore. Rising prices and higher rates have pushed the average new-car loan term out further, adding years of payments most people don't plan for. The average new-car loan has stretched to nearly six years, according to Experian's Q1 2026 data, as buyers lean on longer terms to keep monthly payments manageable.
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.
