Know what your fees are, and figure out what they cost you. A high expense ratio on a fund with a relatively low balance, while not great, may not affect your overall total returns all that much. That high expense ratio on investments with larger balances, though, will be problematic.

Dividend payers in the S&P 500 index had a pretty good year in terms of boosting their dividends. Over 20% of the companies in this index increased their dividends so far this year. Also of note, not a single company in the S&P 500 decreased their dividends, which has not happened since 2011.

Volatility in the stock market is back. Or maybe it’s just back this week. Who knows?

When it comes to planning specifically for a couple, though, there are a few calculations that can get tricky. But if you use the right software and have accurate inputs, you can get it right--and have a more accurate plan as a result.

Sometimes, the main difference between a tenuous retirement plan and a solid one is the reliability of the cash flows you’re expecting in retirement.