Financial Experts Share the Simple Retirement Advice They’re Giving To Clients in 2026
Written by
Josephine Nesbit
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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There are too many retirement dos and don’ts to count, but what would financial experts say is their number one simple piece of advice?
Several financial experts were asked to share just one piece of simple retirement advice everyone should follow in 2026. Here’s what they had to say.
Separate Short-Term Money From Long-Term Money
“My biggest piece of advice for 2026 is to protect your retirement savings by separating short-term money from long-term money,” explained Devin Miller, CEO and co-founder at SecureSave.
According to Miller, this involves separating your emergency money from investments to prevent you from dipping into your retirement accounts.
“Emergency savings may not feel as exciting as investing, but it’s what keeps people from derailing their retirement when unexpected expenses pop up. We see over and over that people with emergency savings stay invested longer and retire with more,” Miller added.
Treat Retirement Like a Paycheck
Steven Rogé, certified financial planner (CFP), certified analytics professional (CAP), accredited investment fiduciary (AIF) and chief investment officer and CEO of R.W. Rogé & Company, Inc., recommended running retirement like a paycheck.
“Set a fixed monthly deposit into checking, fund it from a zero- to three-year cash reserve and keep the rest invested for long-term growth,” he explained. “Refill the cash once or twice a year by trimming winners and put tax withholding on every transfer so April is boring.”
According to Rogé, this habit keeps spending steady, turns volatility into a tool — since rebalancing and refills naturally sell high and avoid forced selling low — and it gives you better control over taxes, as withdrawals can be sized and sourced to fit the bracket you want.
“Build the retirement paycheck first, then let the portfolio do its job behind the scenes,” he added.
Contribute Enough to Your Retirement Account
“I would say make sure you are contributing enough to get your company match if they provide one. This is free money and makes a big difference in your 401(k) balance over time,” explained Georgia Bruggeman, founder and CEO at Meridian Financial Advisors, LLC.
There are different match formulas, but Fidelity pointed out that the most common is for employers to contribute $1 for every $1 an employee contributes, up to 3% of an employee’s salary, then 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2% of an employee’s salary. Fidelity added that workers should aim to save about 15% of their pre-tax income each year, including their match.
Long-Term Care Planning
Evan H. Farr, certified elder-law attorney and retirement planner at Farr Law Firm, said everyone needs to consider long-term care.
“Everyone retiring needs to consider long-term care planning, whether that means purchasing long-term care insurance, doing a Medicaid asset protection trust or both,” Farr said.
That is, unless you have a high-net-worth, which Farr defined as having $5 million or more. In this case, he recommended paying out of pocket for long-term care.
“Most people retiring completely ignore planning for long-term care, even though 70% of people need long-term care after age 65,” Farr said.
Rely on a Trusted Financial Advisor
Andrew McDonald, executive vice president at Siebert Financial, said retirement is a serious time in your life and involves re-evaluating your investment goals, risk tolerance, cash flow and taxes. Because retirement planning can be overwhelming, it’s important to have a trusted adviser in your corner.
“Just because you are retiring doesn’t necessarily mean you will take Social Security or distributions from your IRA or 401(k) accounts,” McDonald explained. “It’s important you have a professional team on your side to help you make good choices.”
McDonald pointed out that even in retirement, you can contribute to your 401(k) or IRA account and have tax benefits. When you retire, your 401(k) can be rolled over into an IRA rollover without any tax consequences.
“This will allow more investment choices as well as the opportunity to re-evaluate your investment parameters,” McDonald said. “Bottom line, call your financial advisor and really think about what is important to you in this moment of life change.”
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