For retirees, financial security often begins with a deeply personal concern: having enough money to pay for housing, food, health care, and everyday expenses throughout retirement. Many also hope to preserve their independence, avoid becoming financially dependent on their children, and leave an inheritance for the next generation. These priorities can make retirement planning an emotional undertaking, particularly when people must translate a lifetime of savings into income that may need to last for decades. The central question is how to balance today's living expenses with tomorrow's financial responsibilities while retaining the flexibility to respond to changing circumstances.

Joseph J. Costigan, CFA, founder of Apricus Wealth, a wealth advisory and investment management firm, believes this question deserves greater attention in financial planning. Drawing on decades of experience in financial analysis, trading, and institutional portfolio management, Costigan emphasizes the relationship between available cash, future spending obligations, and long-term investments. "Retirement security may become easier to assess when people first identify the resources needed to fund their lives, then determine how the remaining assets might support future growth and family legacy goals," he states.

Recent research suggests that these concerns extend across a substantial portion of the retirement population. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research's 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey, 64% of Americans expressed confidence in their ability to live comfortably throughout retirement, while rising health care costs, housing expenses, and concerns about Social Security and Medicare weighed on financial expectations. These findings suggest that retirement confidence may........

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