Good afternoon. Some of the biggest opportunities and risks hide behind assumptions nobody stops to check. Today's stories are about what happens when you finally look closer.
On The Money Today:
Why some marriages don't survive retirement, and the one thing therapists say most couples skip
A billionaire's 5-rule formula for wealth breaks a piece of advice most investors have been taught to follow
Millions of Amazon customers are sitting on unclaimed cash, but the window to claim it is closing fast
Let's get into it.
RETIREMENT
Gray divorce rates have jumped from 8% to 40% over the past three decades, and retirement is often the tipping point. Therapists say couples who make it through share very different habits than the ones who don't. This breaks down where marriages quietly start to crack, and how to stop it before it does.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Wiser Advisor
If you've saved $250,000 or more, the biggest questions ahead aren't simple ones. When should you start drawing down? How do you keep taxes from eating into your nest egg? Will your money last as long as you do? These are decisions you shouldn't be navigating alone.
WiserAdvisor matches you with vetted advisors who specialize in exactly this kind of planning. Answer a few quick questions about your savings and timeline, and you're connected free of charge with up to three advisors suited to your situation. There's no pressure and no obligation, just a conversation worth having.
WiserAdvisor is a matching service and does not provide financial advice directly. All matched advisors are third parties, and specific financial results are not guaranteed.
NEWS
Lee-Chin turned a $500,000 loan into a fortune worth $1.1 billion, and one of his five rules breaks the advice most people are taught about investing safely. He grew up the son of an orphan with no money behind him — proof the approach doesn't require starting rich. There's a simple version of his approach almost anyone can copy.
FEATURE
Amazon settled after the FTC accused it of tricking nearly 40 million people into Prime and burying the cancel button behind a maze of screens. If you signed up through one of the flagged pages, or tried to cancel and couldn't, you could be owed up to $51. The deadline to file is July 27, and after that, the money stays with Amazon.
MONEY IQ
For couples who divorce after 50, what's the typical length of the marriage before it ends?
ALSO MAKING THE ROUNDS TODAY
HOW TO EARN MONEY: An engineer turned an oversized lint roller into a business earning up to $115,000 a year for two hours of work a month
MONEY IQ ANSWER: HOW DID YOU DO?
The answer is B) 29 years. According to Bowling Green State University's National Center for Family & Marriage Research, the median gray divorce in 2022 came after a 29-year marriage. It's not the early years that break these couples. It's what comes after.
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.
