Retirement

An older couple sit on a sofa going through bills and papers on a coffee table, the man holding a phone and the woman a pen.

Florida Says Atlantic Coast Life Is $170 Million Short. South Carolina Says $900 Million of Annuities Unlock This Year.

Florida's insurance regulator suspended Atlantic Coast Life's licence on 30 September, finding that once its investments are valued under state limits the insurer has been short of required surplus since at least September 2025, by $170 million at the end of June. South Carolina, where the company is based, has asked a court to take it over. Its petition says about $900 million of the insurer's annuities reach the end of their surrender-charge periods this year.

By Daniel Okafor October 5, 2026

A planner page with the 31st marked by an orange highlighter, the surrounding squares labelled Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

Explainer

The Catch-Up Contribution Changes Hands in 2027, Not 2026

From taxable years beginning after 31 December 2026, a saver whose Social Security wages from the plan's own sponsor topped $145,000 the year before can no longer make a pre-tax catch-up contribution. It has to be Roth. The threshold is measured per employer, on last year's wages, which catches people who do not think of themselves as high earners.

By Daniel Okafor September 19, 2026

An elderly woman in bright colors and patterned clothes walks across a square in Hong Kong, beside an apartment block. She holds a walking stick. A busy urban environment and traffic is visible in the distance.

Money

The Long-Term Care Policy That Was Supposed to Cover This

Policies sold on assumptions about lapse rates, longevity and interest income that all proved wrong are now demanding premium increases from holders in their seventies, at the moment the coverage becomes relevant.

By Daniel Okafor August 27, 2026

Two professionals reviewing paperwork at a conference table during a business meeting in San Francisco.

Explainer

The Beneficiary Form Beats the Will, and Almost Nobody Checks It

Retirement accounts and life insurance pass by beneficiary designation, not by will. The designation is usually older than the marriage, and nobody is reminded to look at it.

By Daniel Okafor August 25, 2026

Money

Alternative Assets Creep Into Retirement Menus

Private equity, private credit and real assets are arriving inside ordinary retirement plans, bringing diversification arguments and fee questions in equal measure.

By Daniel Okafor August 14, 2026

A dense stack of medical billing paperwork

Money

The Health Savings Account Becomes a Retirement Vehicle

The best-taxed account in the American system was designed for medical bills and is increasingly being used as a supplemental retirement fund by the people who least need help saving.

By Daniel Okafor August 13, 2026

A brick commercial block with bay windows above ground-floor storefronts on a small-town street

Business

A Wave of Retiring Owners Is Putting Main Street Up for Sale

Millions of small businesses are owned by people at or past retirement age, and most have no succession plan. The scramble to keep them alive is reshaping local economies.

By Cory Chamberlain August 8, 2026

Two family members cooking together in a home kitchen

Money

The Great Inheritance Arrives, Unevenly

The largest generational wealth transfer on record is underway. Most of it is moving to households that were already comfortable, and much of it is being consumed by end-of-life costs before it moves at all.

By Daniel Okafor July 30, 2026

A metal fabrication workshop with a large CNC plasma cutter

Business

Employee Ownership Gets a Second Look, From Sellers

Employee stock ownership plans spent decades as an ideological argument. They are being reconsidered as something plainer: a buyer who is already on site when no other buyer appears.

By Cory Chamberlain July 28, 2026

Retirement

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