Confluent Asset Management

09/02/2026

Think you know how much you'll need for retirement?

Don't forget about healthcare.

Fidelity's latest estimate says a 65-year-old retiring in 2026 could spend an average of $185,500 on healthcare and medical expenses throughout retirement.

And that doesn't include long-term care.

That's a big reason retirement planning is about more than simply asking:

"How much have I saved?"

The better question is:

"Will my savings be enough to support everything I may need?"

Healthcare is just one of the expenses that can dramatically change the answer.

A good retirement plan should account for the expenses you expect—and stress-test the ones you don't.

08/31/2026

Imagine having $500,000 saved for retirement.

A 15% gain could add $75,000 to your portfolio. A 15% loss could take away $75,000.

That's a $150,000 difference from one year's market performance.

And as you get closer to retirement, the impact can become even more important. That's why retirement planning isn't just about hoping for good market returns.

It's about having a strategy for both good years and bad ones. Your retirement plan should answer questions like:

• How much can you safely spend?
• What happens if the market drops before you retire?
• How will you generate income from your investments?
• What adjustments should you make along the way?

You can't control the market. But you can control how prepared you are for it.

08/29/2026

💰 Is $1 million enough to retire?

You've probably seen the number everywhere.

$1 million saved.
$1 million invested.
“Can I retire with $1 million?”

But here's the problem: $1 million doesn't automatically equal a secure retirement.

For one person, $1 million could provide a strong foundation for retirement. For someone else, especially someone retiring early or spending more each year, it may not be enough.

The difference comes down to things like:
📊 How much you plan to spend
📈 How your money is invested
🏥 Healthcare costs
💵 Social Security
📉 Market downturns
📈 Inflation
⏳ How long your money needs to last

And with retirement advice constantly showing up on Facebook, Instagram, and other social platforms, it's easy to get caught up in rules of thumb instead of looking at your own numbers.

We took a closer look at what having $1 million saved really means for retirement👇

Is $1 million enough to retire? Learn what a $1 million retirement portfolio could realistically provide, including income, taxes, healthcare, inflation and market risk.

08/28/2026

Why wait until January?

If you already know your retirement plan needs work, the New Year isn’t a magic reset button.

Waiting until January could mean another 4 months of:

❌ Saving less than you need
❌ Taking more investment risk than necessary
❌ Putting off important planning decisions
❌ Moving further away from your retirement goal

Instead, use September as a financial checkpoint. Ask yourself if you are actually on track to retire when I want?

If the answer is “I’m not sure,” that’s worth looking into now. Not three months from now.

Your retirement plan should be built around where you want to go, not simply what you’ve accumulated so far.

There’s still time left in the year to make meaningful changes.

Don’t wait for a New Year’s resolution. Start with a better plan.

08/26/2026

Your retirement account balance isn't your retirement plan.

Let's say you have $1 million saved for retirement.

Great.

But how much income can that $1 million actually provide?

That's the question many people don't think about until retirement gets close.

Your retirement strategy may need to account for:
• Social Security
• Taxes
• Investment risk
• Withdrawal rates
• Healthcare costs
• Market volatility
• Which accounts you draw from first
• How long your money needs to last

Because having money saved and knowing how to use it are two different things.

A strong retirement plan doesn't just focus on accumulating assets. It focuses on turning those assets into an income strategy that can support the life you want.

Your account balance is a number. Your retirement plan should tell you what that number can do for you.

08/24/2026

Are you saving for retirement, or actually planning for it? There's an important difference.

Putting money into your 401(k) or IRA every month is a great habit. But your account balance alone doesn't tell you whether you're on track to retire when you want.

A real retirement strategy should answer questions like:
• When can I realistically retire?
• How much income will I need?
• Is my portfolio taking the right amount of risk?
• What happens if the market drops before I retire?
• Will my savings support the lifestyle I want?

Fidelity's 2026 retirement planning research found that 74% of Americans say they have a plan for reaching their retirement goals.

But having a plan isn't the same as knowing whether the plan works. That's where an objective review can make a difference. Don't spend years saving without knowing where you're headed.

08/22/2026

Market volatility can make you feel like you need to do something.

Sell.
Move to cash.
Change your investments.
Wait for things to settle down.

But new Vanguard data suggests most retirement investors aren't reacting that way.

In fact, only 5% of non-advised retirement plan participants made a trade in 2025, even as markets experienced significant volatility.

Instead of letting the latest headline—or the latest financial prediction on social media—drive your decisions, consider a more important question:

Is your portfolio actually built for the retirement you want?

We take a closer look at the data, market volatility and what retirement investors should consider before making a major portfolio change.

Read the full article → https://www.confluentam.com/market-volatility-and-retirement-investing/

New Vanguard data shows most retirement investors stayed the course during market volatility. Learn what the data means for your retirement portfolio and financial plan.

08/21/2026

One bad investment usually isn't what hurts retirement.

A bad portfolio allocation can.

Research has shown that asset allocation is responsible for the vast majority of long-term investment performance.

If your investments no longer match your goals or risk tolerance, your portfolio may be working against you.

When was the last time you reviewed it?

08/19/2026

When the market gets volatile, what's your first instinct?

Do something?
Sell?
Move to cash?
Change your investments?

Interestingly, Vanguard's 2026 How America Saves report found that only 5% of participants traded during periods of volatility.

The lesson isn't that you should never make changes to your portfolio.

It's that changes should be based on your financial plan, not fear.

A good investment strategy should already account for your retirement timeline, risk tolerance, income needs, and long-term goals.

Don't let a headline make a long-term retirement decision for you.

08/17/2026

What if one of the biggest expenses in retirement is the one you haven't planned for?

Healthcare.

Fidelity estimates that about 15% of living expenses in retirement may be related to healthcare costs.

And healthcare expenses can become even more difficult to predict as you get older.

That’s why retirement planning isn’t just about reaching a certain savings number.

It’s about making sure your money can support the life you want—including the expenses you may not be thinking about today.

Healthcare. Taxes. Inflation. Income. Longevity. Investment risk.

The goal isn't simply to retire. It's to retire with a plan.

Are healthcare costs part of your retirement strategy?