The weekly email that keeps you up to date on exciting Retirement topics in an enjoyable, entertaining way for free.

Retirement in 2026: Why the Old Rules No Longer Work—and What Replaces Them

by Eric Seyboldt, MBA

Every January brings optimism. But January of 2026 carries something else with it—clarity. The economic environment has changed enough, and long enough, that pretending otherwise is no longer responsible. Retirement planning is no longer about accumulation alone. It is about engineering stability in a world that does not offer it freely.

For decades, households were told that discipline and diversification would do the job. Save consistently. Invest prudently. Ride out volatility. That advice was not wrong—it was simply incomplete. The risks facing retirees today are structural, not cyclical. They do not announce themselves during bull markets, and they do not disappear when markets recover. They compound quietly, and they punish complacency.

What separates retirement success from disappointment is no longer the size of the portfolio. It is how well that portfolio behaves when life does not cooperate.

Living Longer Has Changed the Math

A longer life is an economic gift—but it comes with a bill. Retirement timelines that once spanned 15 or 20 years now stretch 30 years or more. That shift alters everything. Withdrawal strategies that looked reasonable on paper break down when markets stumble early or expenses rise late. The challenge is not longevity itself; it is income durability. The strongest plans recognize that some dollars must be asked to last forever, while others should be asked to produce income reliably. Treating all assets the same is no longer prudent—it is risky.

When Money Exists but Isn’t Usable

One of the most common frustrations among retirees is not fear—it is constraint. Assets may be substantial, yet flexibility feels limited. A home may be paid off. Accounts may be sizable. But access can be cumbersome, tax-inefficient, or timed poorly. Liquidity is often misunderstood as laziness in a portfolio. In reality, it is insurance against bad timing. Households with intentional liquidity sleep better, make clearer decisions, and avoid selling good assets at the wrong moment.

Inflation Doesn’t Shock—It Squeezes

Inflation rarely creates panic. It creates quiet compromise. Retirees stop traveling as often. They delay replacing vehicles. They rationalize higher costs as temporary. Over time, lifestyle erosion becomes normalized. This is not a budgeting failure—it is a planning failure. Income that does not adjust eventually disappoints. Planning for inflation does not require aggressive speculation; it requires acknowledging that static dollars are fragile in a dynamic economy.

Markets Hurt Most at the Wrong Time

Market risk is not about volatility—it is about sequence. Losses at age 45 are inconvenient. Losses at age 67 can be permanent. The early retirement years carry disproportionate weight, yet many plans expose households to unnecessary market dependence precisely when flexibility is lowest. Effective strategies do not eliminate market exposure; they manage when and how it is relied upon. Stability is not the enemy of growth—it is its foundation.

The Financial Consequences of Loss

When one spouse passes, the financial world narrows. Income streams change. Tax brackets compress. Decision-making becomes harder at the worst possible time. Too many plans assume continuity where disruption is the rule. Survivor planning is not pessimism—it is responsibility. The measure of a good plan is not how it performs in good years, but how it protects the person left to carry it forward.

Taxes: The Final Risk No One Escapes

Deferred taxes have long been marketed as progress. But deferral is not forgiveness. Retirement often brings higher marginal rates than expected, especially after one income disappears. Required distributions arrive whether they are needed or not. The most sophisticated plans treat taxes as a controllable variable, spreading exposure across time and account types. Paying less over a lifetime matters more than paying less this year.

A New Year, A Higher Standard

2026 should mark a turning point. Not toward fear, but toward precision. Retirement planning has matured. It now demands structure, foresight, and realism. The households that will thrive are not chasing certainty—they are building resilience. And in today’s economy, resilience is the most valuable return of all.

If the themes in this article resonate, a brief conversation can bring clarity to how they apply in real life. A well-designed retirement strategy is not about chasing returns or reacting to headlines; it is about structure, foresight, and building resilience that holds up over time.

A complimentary 10-minute consultation is available to discuss how these principles fit your situation. Call 614-943-2265 or email Eric at [email protected] to schedule. Thoughtful decisions made early often determine how confidently retirement is lived later—not by guesswork, but by design.

3 Tricks Billionaires Use to Help Protect Wealth Through Shaky Markets

“If I hear bad news about the stock market one more time, I’m gonna be sick.”

We get it. Investors are rattled, costs keep rising, and the world keeps getting weirder.

So, who’s better at handling their money than the uber-rich?

Have 3 long-term investing tips UBS (Swiss bank) shared for shaky times:

1. Hold extra cash for expenses and buying cheap if markets fall.

2. Diversify outside stocks (Gold, real estate, etc.).

3. Hold a slice of wealth in alternatives that tend not to move with equities.

The catch? Most alternatives aren’t open to everyday investors

That’s why Masterworks exists: 70,000+ members invest in shares of something that’s appreciated more overall than the S&P 500 over 30 years without moving in lockstep with it.*

Contemporary and post war art by legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and more.

Sounds crazy, but it’s real. One way to help reclaim control this week:

Skip waitlist.

_{*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd}

When Retirement Looks Fine on Paper but Feels Off in Real Life

by Eric Seyboldt, MBA

Client: Eric, I’ve saved, I’ve invested, and I’ve stayed disciplined. So why does retirement still feel unsettled?

Eric: Because the rules changed while you were doing the right things. Most people think uncertainty means they missed something. In reality, it usually means they followed advice that was built for a different economic era. Retirement today isn’t just about how much you’ve accumulated—it’s about how those assets respond once paychecks stop. Markets move differently, taxes behave differently, and life stretches longer than most plans were ever designed to handle.

Client: When you say “how assets respond,” what are you really getting at?

Eric: I’m talking about behavior under stress. On paper, almost any plan looks fine if returns are smooth and expenses behave. Real life doesn’t work that way. Markets drop at inconvenient times. Large expenses arrive unannounced. A strong retirement strategy is built to absorb those moments without forcing bad decisions. If a plan requires perfect conditions to succeed, it’s fragile.

Client: Longevity comes up a lot in your planning. Why is it such a big deal?

Eric: Because a longer life magnifies every small mistake. A retirement that lasts 30 years isn’t just longer than one that lasts 20—it’s structurally different. Early withdrawals matter more. Inflation has more time to compound. Healthcare costs have more opportunities to surprise you. The solution isn’t guessing how long you’ll live; it’s designing income that doesn’t depend on guessing correctly. Some money needs to grow, and some money needs to show up on time, every time.

Client: I have assets, but sometimes I feel like I can’t actually use them when I want to.

Eric: That’s incredibly common, and it’s one of the least discussed risks. Wealth that isn’t accessible creates stress, even if the balance sheet looks strong. People end up pulling money from the wrong accounts, triggering taxes or selling investments at the wrong time. Liquidity isn’t about sitting in cash forever—it’s about having the right dollars available for the right moments so you stay in control.

Client: Inflation seems quieter now, but it still worries me.

Eric: It should. Inflation doesn’t announce itself with headlines; it shows up in habits changing. People stop doing things they enjoy and call it being practical. Fixed income that feels comfortable at 65 often feels tight at 75. Planning for inflation means acknowledging that income must adapt over time. Retirement doesn’t mean growth stops—it means growth has to be intentional.

Client: Market risk feels unavoidable. How do you manage it without being overly conservative?

Eric: You manage timing, not headlines. The market isn’t the enemy—dependence on it at the wrong time is. Losses early in retirement do far more damage than losses later. That’s why structure matters. When income is planned correctly, market volatility becomes something you can wait out instead of react to.

Client: And taxes? Most of my money is tax-deferred. Isn’t that a good thing?

Eric: It’s a partial solution. Deferring taxes is like postponing a bill—you still have to open the envelope. Required distributions, changing brackets, and the loss of a spouse often push taxes higher than expected. The smartest plans spread tax exposure over time and account types so no single year becomes punitive.

Client: So what does a strong retirement plan really accomplish?

Eric: It replaces anxiety with clarity. It tells you where income comes from, how surprises get handled, and what stays protected no matter what markets do. Most importantly, it gives you confidence that decisions are being made by design, not by emotion.

Client: What’s your advice heading into 2026?

Eric: Stop hoping the plan holds up and start knowing it will. Retirement works best when it’s engineered, not assumed. The families who do well aren’t chasing perfection—they’re building resilience. And that’s still the most reliable strategy there is.

Contact us for a complimentary, 10-minute estate planning consultation. Moving across state lines—or through life’s major milestones—deserves the same level of care and foresight as building your wealth in the first place.

Call Eric Seyboldt at 614-943-2265, or email Eric at [email protected], to schedule your complimentary review. Because the plans that protect your family’s future are worth keeping as strong and up-to-date as the life you’ve worked so hard to build.

💥 Newsletter Sponsored by Luke’s Property Services 💥

🧼 Ohio’s Most Trusted Name in Power Washing & Window Washing

Is your home’s curb appeal fading fast? You’re not alone—and there’s never been a better time to bring it back to life.

Right now, Luke’s Property Services is offering 10% OFF all power washing services—but only for a limited time (end of May)! Whether it’s your driveway, patio, deck, walkway, or siding, they’ll blast away years of grime in a single visit.

🏠 Before and after? Like night and day.
💧 Equipment? Commercial-grade and eco-friendly.
💪 Results? Shockingly clean—and they speak for themselves.

✅ Trusted by homeowners across Central Ohio
✅ Fast, professional, and always reliable
✅ No-pressure, free quotes — just text or call!

📞 Call or Text Luke’s Property Services Today: (614) 531-6979

Fixed annuities can be an essential component of a well-rounded retirement strategy, offering security, predictability, and efficiency in financial planning.

These are current fixed annuity rates and their durations from Top A-rated carriers (subject to change at any time, not FDIC insured):

Rates Are Dropping! Don’t Wait To Lock These Fixed Annuity Rates In Today!

3-year: 5.45% (under $100k Deposited)

3-year: 5.60% (over $100k Deposited)

5-year: 6.05% (under $100k Deposited)

5-year: 6.30% (over $100k Deposited)

7-year: 6.25% (under $100k Deposited)

7-year: 6.50% (over $100k Deposited)

Please feel free to call Eric at 614-943-2265 if you’d like to ask any questions or request information on these fixed annuities or other retirement topics that are on your mind.

REAL ASSETS, Invest Like the Ultra-Wealthy

Invest Like the Ultra-Wealthy: Why Smart Money Is Flocking to Real Assets Like Gold

Let’s call it like it is: the traditional retirement game plan is starting to look outdated. Inflation keeps climbing, the dollar doesn’t stretch like it used to, and central banks continue flooding the system with liquidity. Meanwhile, the markets? Still as volatile and unpredictable as ever.

That’s why today’s smartest investors aren’t sitting on the sidelines—they’re taking action.

They’re turning to gold—a timeless, tangible asset that doesn’t disappear when Wall Street stumbles. Gold has quietly built and preserved wealth through centuries of financial upheaval.

This isn’t just a hedge. It’s a proven strategy for uncertain times.

📌 Gold has stood the test of time as a store of value across every major crisis.
📌 It provides a reliable safeguard against inflation and currency devaluation.
📌 Unlike stocks or bonds, gold is a physical asset you can see, hold, and control on your terms.

When the future feels uncertain, gold offers stability, security, and peace of mind. Make it a cornerstone of your retirement strategy today.

During market chaos, real assets don’t flinch. They thrive. History proves it. While equities tumble, hard assets often surge—shielding portfolios and delivering asymmetric returns when they're needed most.

And even in calm times? They add powerful diversification. That’s why the ultra-wealthy use them as a cornerstone—not a sideshow—in their wealth strategy.

Ask yourself:

🧠 Are you truly diversified?
🧠 What happens to your retirement if inflation stays elevated?
🧠 If the dollar weakens, what asset in your portfolio gets stronger?

If you don’t have a good answer, it’s time for a new conversation.

Allocating funds into the asset class known as “Real Assets” may be a strategy that you should consider.

Ask us how to Rollover a portion of Your IRA or 401k To a GOLD IRA (see link below) and:

• Safeguard your assets from the collapsing dollar

• Incorporate the ‘REAL ASSET’ class into your portfolio like the ultra-wealthy

• Hedge against the current high-inflation conditions

• Protect your retirement assets against economic crises

Just get in touch. We make it easier than ever.

Feedback or Questions?

You’re invited to get in touch with us if you’d like to find out how the Novus Financial Group can help you on your journey to a happy, fulfilling life in Retirement. 

Office: 614-943-2265

Feel Free To Forward Retirement Examined To A Friend and Have Them Subscribe By Clicking The Button Below:

Reach out if you’d like to advertise your business on Retirement Examined or would like to be a sponsor.

Investment advisory services are offered by duly registered individuals on behalf of CreativeOne Wealth, LLC a Registered Investment Adviser.

The content we provide here isn’t financial advice and cannot be taken as such. Please speak to your financial advisor before making any investment decision. Also, note that every investment comes with its risks and drawbacks. Lastly, we would like to remind you that past results cannot guarantee future returns.

This website contains one affiliate link. When you click on the link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. We only promote companies that we have personally used or researched and believe will add value to our readers