‘Stability’ is a vague word in financial commentary unless it’s tied to specific, checkable indicators. The measures that actually matter for retirement planning are published by primary sources: the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the Consumer Price Index (CPI) monthly, tracking real inflation; the Federal Reserve sets and explains its interest rate decisions through the FOMC; and the Treasury publishes yield curve data that reflects broader market expectations.

Retirement savers are better served checking these primary sources directly than relying on a commentator’s characterization of ‘stability’ or ‘instability,’ which can vary widely by speaker and agenda. A genuinely resilient retirement plan is built to withstand a range of economic conditions — inflation, recession, and growth — rather than optimized for a prediction about which one is coming.