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Millions of Americans approaching retirement age find themselves in precarious financial positions, with little saved and mounting debt still to pay off. One 60-year-old restaurant server recently wrote to MarketWatch’s Moneyist column, Quentin Fottrell, describing a situation many working-class Americans quietly share. The server has just $2,000 in a Roth IRA, carries $4,400 in credit-card…

A 73-year-old California retiree is living entirely off dividend income from a large-cap U.S. stock portfolio and wants to know how to build in greater financial security. The reader, a single filer, says their house is paid off and they maintain one full year of cash expenses set aside as an emergency fund. Writing to…

The 2026 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports reveal both programs are hurtling toward insolvency at a pace not seen in decades, threatening tens of millions of Americans. Social Security’s Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund is now projected to run dry in 2032, when today’s youngest retirees will be just 68 years old. At…

A new study from Corebridge Financial reveals that a surprising majority of retirees are actually growing their nest eggs rather than drawing them down. According to the research, 60% of already-retired participants had more money saved now than when they first entered retirement, while 14% had about the same amount. Only about a quarter of…

Vanguard’s annual How America Saves 2026 report reveals that American workers’ retirement account balances climbed to unprecedented levels last year. The average 401(k) balance among Vanguard participants reached $167,970 in 2025, nearly $20,000 higher than the 2024 average of $148,153. The median account balance also rose meaningfully, climbing from $38,176 in 2024 to $44,115 in…

When a parent dies, the division of assets can quickly become a source of tension among surviving family members, particularly when some assets fall outside the estate. A reader recently wrote to MarketWatch’s Moneyist columnist Quentin Fottrell with a question that many families face after losing a loved one. The reader explained that their grandmother…

Early signs of reopening in the Strait of Hormuz have eased the most acute threat to global energy markets, but months of economic pain remain ahead. The U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum to open the strait, ending a war that has upended global energy supply chains, pushed inflation higher, and weakened the outlook for…

When a parent learns their children will inherit an annuity, the financial decisions that follow can feel overwhelming without the right guidance. Annuities left to non-spouse beneficiaries, such as grandchildren, come with specific rules that dictate how and when the money must be distributed. In many cases, inherited annuities require beneficiaries to begin taking distributions…

Nevada’s workforce expanded 1.9% from April 2025 to 2026, outpacing every other state at a time when the national rate grew just 0.2%. That growth is striking given Nevada represents roughly 1% of the U.S. population, yet accounted for about 12% of all new jobs created nationally over those 12 months. Economic leaders say the…

Juneteenth, the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, brings a wide range of closures to financial markets, banks, and postal services this Friday. The holiday marks the events of June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, informing enslaved Black people who were among the last to learn…