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Retirement is supposed to feel like a slowdown<\/a>. The spending doesn’t get the memo.<\/p>\n The average U.S. household age 65 and older<\/a> brings in about $65,468 a year, or roughly $5,455 a month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>. But that income barely gets comfortable before it’s spoken for. The BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey<\/a>, released in 2025, shows retirees spending $61,432 annually \u2014 about $5,119 a month.<\/p>\n That leaves just $336.<\/p>\n Not exactly the kind of cushion that absorbs surprises.<\/p>\n And the real twist? It’s not one reckless habit draining the budget. It’s the basics.<\/p>\n Don’t Miss:<\/p>\n If there’s a heavyweight in the room, it’s housing. And it’s not close.<\/p>\n Retirees spent about $22,193 a year on housing, or roughly $1,849 a month, according to the BLS. That’s the single largest expense by a wide margin.<\/p>\n This isn’t just about mortgages. Property taxes, insurance, utilities, repairs \u2014 they all keep showing up, month after month. Even a fully paid-off home still demands cash.<\/p>\n It’s the kind of expense that doesn’t feel dramatic. It just quietly takes the biggest share.<\/p>\n The next two categories don’t grab headlines. They don’t need to. They’re consistent.<\/p>\n Transportation costs<\/a> hit about $9,538 annually, or $795 a month. Gas, insurance, maintenance \u2014 it all adds up, especially if there’s more than one car in the driveway.<\/p>\n Since the start of the year gas prices have climbed sharply from around $2.90 per gallon in January to over $4.00 nationally in recent weeks<\/a>. That jump puts extra pressure on retiree budgets for fuel and related driving costs.<\/p>\n Healthcare<\/a> comes in at roughly $7,799 a year, or $650 a month. Medicare helps, but it doesn’t erase premiums<\/a>, prescriptions, or out-of-pocket costs. And those tend to rise, not fall.<\/p>\n These aren’t occasional expenses. They’re built into everyday life.<\/p>\n Trending: Discover How AI Can Turn Your Investment Ideas Into Tradable Assets \u2014 See How<\/a><\/p>\n Food doesn’t feel like the problem \u2014 until it’s tracked.<\/p>\n Retirees spend about $7,940 a year here, or roughly $662 a month, based on BLS figures. Groceries, dining out, quick convenience stops \u2014 it all blends together.<\/p>\n It’s also one of the few areas where small changes can actually move the needle.<\/p>\n This isn’t about overspending. It’s about how close the numbers run.<\/p>\n Housing, transportation, healthcare, and food take up the bulk of that $5,119 monthly spend. Not luxuries. Not splurges. Just the cost of living.<\/p>\n And when income and expenses sit this close together, even a minor shift can throw things off balance.<\/p>\n The good news is this isn’t locked in.<\/p>\n Shopping home and auto insurance more often can shave hundreds off annual costs. Dropping a second vehicle can save thousands. Reviewing Medicare plans during open enrollment can uncover real savings. Even dialing back takeout <\/a>can quietly rebuild breathing room.<\/p>\n None of it is flashy. All of it works.<\/p>\n See Also: This 2-Minute Tool Matches Investors With Financial Advisors Based on Their Goals<\/a><\/p>\n A little over $300 in breathing room might look fine on paper. In real life, it disappears fast.<\/p>\n One unexpected bill, a higher insurance premium, even a few extra grocery runs, and that margin is gone. It’s not just emergencies either. That gap doesn’t leave much space for the things people actually enjoy \u2014 a weekend outing, new clothes, a last-minute trip, even a few “why not” purchases at the store.<\/p>\n That’s the tension. The basics are covered, but there’s not much room left to live a little.<\/p>\n This is where planning stops being optional.<\/p>\n A financial advisor<\/a> can help turn a tight situation into a controlled one. That means building a withdrawal strategy that doesn’t drain accounts too quickly, timing Social Security in a way that maximizes income, and getting ahead of healthcare costs before they spike. It’s not about complicated moves. It’s about making smarter ones with what’s already there.<\/p>\n Because when the margin is this thin, every decision carries more weight.<\/p>\n And having someone map it out can be the difference between constantly adjusting and actually feeling in control.<\/p>\n Read Next: Demand for Faster Diagnostics Is Surging \u2014 NASA- and NIH-Supported Space-Tested System Targets At-Home Lab-Quality Blood Testing<\/a><\/p>\n Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, professional financial guidance, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.<\/p>\n Rad AI<\/p>\n RAD Intel is an AI-driven marketing platform helping brands improve campaign performance by turning complex data into actionable insights for content, influencer strategy, and ROI optimization.<\/a> Positioned within the multi-hundred-billion-dollar digital marketing industry, the company works with global brands across sectors to improve targeting precision and creative performance using its analytics and AI tools. With strong revenue growth, expanding enterprise contracts, and a Nasdaq ticker reserved under $RADI, RAD Intel is opening access to its Regulation A+ offering, giving investors exposure to the growing intersection of AI, marketing, and creator economy infrastructure.<\/p>\n Connect Invest<\/p>\n Connect Invest is a real estate investment platform that allows investors to access short-term, fixed-income opportunities backed by a diversified portfolio of residential and commercial real estate loans.<\/a> Through its Short Notes structure, investors can choose defined terms (6, 12, or 24 months) and earn monthly interest payments while gaining exposure to real estate as an asset class. For investors focused on diversification, Connect Invest may serve as one component within a broader portfolio that also includes traditional equities, fixed income, and other alternative assets\u2014helping balance exposure across different risk and return profiles.<\/p>\n Mode Mobile<\/p>\n Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day<\/a>. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream. For investors, Mode Mobile offers exposure to the expanding mobile advertising and attention economy through a pre-IPO opportunity tied to a new approach to user monetization.<\/p>\n rHealth<\/p>\n rHealth is building a space-tested diagnostics platform designed to bring lab-quality blood testing closer to patients in minutes rather than weeks<\/a>. Originally validated in collaboration with NASA for use aboard the International Space Station, the technology is now being adapted for at-home and point-of-care settings to address widespread delays in diagnostic access.<\/p>\n Backed by institutions including NASA and the NIH, rHealth is targeting the large global diagnostics market with a multi-test platform and a model built around devices, consumables, and software. With FDA registration in progress, the company is positioning itself as a potential shift toward faster, more decentralized healthcare testing.<\/p>\n Direxion<\/p>\n Direxion specializes in leveraged and inverse ETFs designed to help active traders express short-term market views during periods of volatility and major market events.<\/a> Rather than long-term investing, these products are built for tactical use\u2014allowing investors to take magnified bullish or bearish positions across indices, sectors, and single stocks. For experienced traders, Direxion offers a way to respond quickly to changing market conditions and act on high-conviction views with greater flexibility.<\/p>\n Immersed<\/p>\n Immersed is a spatial computing company building immersive productivity software that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens inside VR and mixed-reality environments.<\/a> Its platform is used by remote workers and enterprises to create virtual workspaces that reduce reliance on traditional physical hardware while improving focus and collaboration. The company is also developing its own lightweight VR headset and AI productivity tools, positioning itself in the future-of-work and spatial computing space. Through its pre-IPO offering, Immersed is opening access to early-stage investors looking to diversify beyond traditional assets and gain exposure to emerging technologies shaping how people work.<\/p>\n Arrived<\/p>\n Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100<\/a>. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.<\/p>\n Masterworks<\/p>\n Masterworks enables investors to diversify into blue-chip art, an alternative asset class with historically low correlation to stocks and bonds.<\/a> Through fractional ownership of museum-quality works by artists like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso, investors gain access without the high costs or complexities of owning art outright. With hundreds of offerings and strong historical exits on select works, Masterworks adds a scarce, globally traded asset to portfolios seeking long-term diversification.<\/p>\n Finance Advisors<\/p>\n Finance Advisors helps Americans approach retirement with greater clarity by connecting them to vetted, fiduciary financial advisors who specialize in tax-aware retirement planning.<\/a> Rather than focusing on products or investment performance alone, the platform emphasizes strategies that account for after-tax income, withdrawal sequencing, and long-term tax efficiency\u2014factors that can materially impact retirement outcomes. Free to use, Finance Advisors gives individuals with meaningful savings access to a level of planning sophistication historically reserved for high-net-worth households, helping reduce hidden tax risk and improve long-term financial confidence.<\/p>\n Bam Capital<\/p>\n BAM Capital offers accredited investors a way to diversify beyond public markets through institutional-grade multifamily real estate.<\/a> With over $1.85 billion in completed transactions and guidance from Senior Economic Advisor Tony Landa, the firm targets income and long-term growth as supply tightens and renter demand remains strong\u2014especially in Midwest markets. Its income-focused and growth-oriented funds provide exposure to real assets designed to be less tied to stock market volatility.<\/p>\n Public<\/p>\n Public is a multi-asset investing platform built for long-term investors who want more control, transparency, and innovation in how they grow wealth.<\/a> Founded in 2019 as the first broker-dealer to offer commission-free, real-time fractional investing, Public now lets users invest in stocks, bonds, options, crypto, and more\u2014all in one place. Its latest feature, Generated Assets, uses AI to turn a single idea into a fully customized, investable index that can be explained and backtested before committing capital. Combined with AI-powered research tools, clear explanations of market moves, and an uncapped 1% match for transferring an existing portfolio, Public positions itself as a modern platform designed to help serious investors make more informed decisions with context.<\/p>\n AdviserMatch<\/p>\n