Retirement accounts, portfolio construction, risk and plain-English explainers of the key terms investors use, with current numbers.
CPI vs PCE: the two inflation gauges differ in basket, weights and formula. The Fed targets 2% PCE; core PCE was 3.4% in May 2026 while core CPI was 2.6% in June 2026.
How often should investors rebalance a portfolio? Research points to once a year with a small band, and 2026 data shows a 60/40 mix drifting to 61.7% stocks by June 30.
Roth vs traditional comes down to one question: is your tax rate higher now or in retirement? With 2026 brackets of 10% to 37%, the examples show where each account wins.
The yield curve plots Treasury yields by maturity. As of July 7, 2026 the 10-year yielded 4.55% and the 2-year 4.19%, a normal upward slope after the 2023 inversion.
Asset allocation by age in 2026: glide paths run from 90% stocks at 25 to 30% at 72, while bills yield 3.82% and stocks compounded at 10.02% since 1928.
The 2026 contribution limits are $24,500 for a 401(k), $7,500 for an IRA and $4,400 or $8,750 for an HSA. Saving the full amounts for 30 years at 7% can build over $3.4 million.
Market sell-offs are routine: the S&P 500 has fallen 10% or more 20 times since 1975 and recovered each time. In 2026 the deepest drop so far was 9.1%.
Median retirement savings by state range from $150,000 in Massachusetts to $35,000 in Mississippi, against a national median of $86,900 for families with accounts.
Investing instead of working takes about $2.2 million to replace the 2025 median household income of $87,460 at a 4% withdrawal rate, even with T-bills near 4.2%.