Annuity sales can serve as a practical “signal” for what retirees are prioritizing—especially when the market and inflation environment makes predictable retirement income more valuable. LIMRA reported that total U.S. annuity sales reached a new quarterly record in Q3 2025, surpassing $120 billion for the first time. While sales numbers alone do not determine what is right for any one household, they do highlight broader themes: demand for income stability, interest in risk-managed growth structures, and a continued focus on retirement income planning that can hold up across volatility. This post explains what the record tells us (and what it doesn’t), why retirees care about guaranteed-income interest, and the practical questions to ask when evaluating retirement income needs.

“Pension risk transfer” can sound technical, but the core idea is simple: employers sometimes pay to move pension obligations off their balance sheet and into an insurer-backed structure. LIMRA reported that single-premium pension risk transfer buy-in sales surged in Q3 2025, reaching the highest quarterly total on record. For retirees and near-retirees, this matters because it reflects a broader theme in retirement planning: the value of predictable, contract-based income and the desire to reduce long-term financial uncertainty. This post explains what a pension buy-in is (in plain language), why employers do it, how it differs from other pension changes, and what retirement households can learn from the trend.

Many retirees work part-time, consult, or keep earning income while receiving Social Security. The important detail is that Social Security’s “earnings test” can temporarily withhold benefits if you are below full retirement age and your earnings exceed certain thresholds. For 2026, SSA published updated exempt amounts that determine when benefit withholding may apply. This does not mean you “lose” your benefits permanently—but it can change monthly cash flow and create confusion if you are not expecting it. This post outlines the 2026 earnings-test limits, explains how the withholding rules work in plain English, and gives a simple checklist for retirees who want to work while keeping benefit surprises to a minimum.

At the end of the day, going forward, a new normal that has evolved from generation.New-year planning often starts with one practical question: “How much can I put away this year?” The IRS updated multiple retirement contribution limits for 2026, including higher employee deferral limits for 401(k)-type plans and a higher IRA contribution limit. Catch-up contribution rules also remain an important planning lever for older savers. Even if you do not contribute the maximum, knowing the ceilings can help you set realistic savings targets and avoid last-minute surprises. This post summarizes the key 2026 limits in one place, clarifies what each limit means (and what it does not mean), and offers a short checklist to help households incorporate these numbers into a retirement savings plan.

Social Security’s annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is one of the most visible “automatic” updates retirees receive—and it can shape how households think about inflation, budgeting, and income stability. For 2026, Social Security beneficiaries and SSI recipients will receive a 2.8% COLA. While that increase can help offset rising costs, it does not affect every budget category equally—especially when healthcare, insurance, and household essentials move at different rates than broad inflation measures. This post explains what the 2026 COLA means in plain language, when changes show up, what other 2026 Social Security figures are worth noting, and a short checklist to help retirees update their income plan without overreacting to a single number.

Medicare Part B costs are increasing in 2026, and the changes matter for retirement cash flow planning because they affect both monthly premiums and out-of-pocket exposure before coverage begins. CMS has released the updated 2026 figures, including the standard Part B premium and the annual Part B deductible, along with key Part A hospital cost-sharing amounts. For many retirees, these updates become a practical budgeting checkpoint: premiums typically come out of Social Security or are billed directly, while deductibles and coinsurance shape how much “buffer” you may want in a healthcare spending plan. Understanding the updated numbers—and how they fit into a larger retirement income picture—helps reduce surprises as a new year begins.