Retirement planning is often built on “rules of thumb” that work well in spreadsheets but fail in the messy reality of the 2026 economy. For decades, seniors were told that their expenses would drop as they aged, that bonds would provide safe income, and that their tax rate would plummet once they stopped working. However, this winter has exposed the cracks in these assumptions, as inflation and regulatory shifts create a “perfect storm” for fixed-income households. The strategies that worked for your parents are now actively endangering the solvency of modern portfolios. Recognizing which myths are crumbling is the only way to pivot before your nest egg sustains permanent damage.
