Retiring in 2026? Here's How Much Cash You Should Have on Hand.

If you're gearing up to retire in 2026, there are probably a host of decisions you're suddenly facing. And some of them may be daunting.

You'll need to figure out when to claim Social Security , whether to enroll in Medicare, and what to do about your investment portfolio. And it's important to get the latter decision right.

Some retirees make the decision to largely dump their stocks to reduce volatility within their portfolios. That could end up being a mistake, though.

You need stocks in your portfolio during retirement to allow your savings to keep growing. If you scale back on stocks to too much of an extreme, you may be very limited in how much you can withdraw each year from your IRA or 401(k) plan .

But if you're going to stay invested in stocks as a retiree, it's importa