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In a summer that’s already seen a number of stars traded, the Nets’ moves have been more measured than momentous.

Page Six reported that the "Gossip Girl" alum was not invited to the pop star's celeb-filled nuptials after their fallout.

Page Six reported that the "Gossip Girl" alum was not invited to the pop star's celeb-filled nuptials after their fallout.

New York City FC CEO Brad Sims is confident about one thing when it comes to the club. 

Matthew Schaefer’s getting a shake-up.

The expectation was that the 6-foot-9 rising junior would be the Johnnies’ starting power forward next season. Without him, that spot could belong to high-flying Senegalese forward Babacar Sane. 

North Carolina educator 37-year-old Lesli Lambeth Bryant was slapped with two counts of indecent liberties and second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, court docs show.

Listen to the terrifying 911 calls made to Arizona first responders moments after the family of a toddler discovered him in their pool — hours before doctors declared him dead, and he came back to life in the morgue.

US Fentanyl Crisis Eases But Remains Dominant

According to the latest provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. drug overdose deaths have come down from the peaks of the past years while remaining at high levels.

Recent figures suggest a notable decline to around 70,000 annual fatalities in 2025, following a peak of nearly 110,000 in 2023.

Still, synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, continue to be the main driver of overdose mortality, involved in more than half of the U.S. cases and underscoring the scale and persistence of the crisis.

As Statista's Katharina Buchholz shows in the chart below, the role of synthetic opioids has grown dramatically over the past decade... 

You will find more infographics at Statista

In early 2015, fentanyl and related substances were involved in just 12 percent of all drug overdose deaths. This share rose steadily in the following years, surpassing 50 percent by early 2020 and reaching around two-thirds of overdose deaths by 2021-2022, as the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation.

At its peak in 2023, synthetic opioids accounted for roughly 70 percent of all overdose fatalities in the country, highlighting how decisively fentanyl has overtaken other drugs, in part because its extreme potency makes it cost-effective to mix into other drugs, thereby increasing the risk of overdoses.

The underlying trend reflects both a sharp increase in deaths linked to synthetic opioids and a relative stabilization, or even decline, of fatalities involving other substances. 

Deaths involving fentanyl surged from fewer than 6,000 per month in early 2015 to more than 75,000 annually by 2023 (12-month rolling totals), while deaths linked to other drugs remained broadly flat or declined slightly over the same period.

However, the latest provisional CDC data point to a potential turning point.

Throughout 2024, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids declined from around 72,700 in January to below 50,000 by December (rolling totals), bringing their share of total overdose deaths down to about 60 percent.

While this marks a notable improvement, fentanyl remains at the center of the U.S. overdose epidemic.

Public health experts attribute the recent decline to a combination of factors, including expanded access to naloxone (a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses), increased public awareness, intensified prevention efforts and shifts in drug supply.

Tyler Durden Thu, 07/02/2026 - 23:00

The report concluded Secret Service “missed multiple opportunities to detect, prevent, and disrupt” deranged gunman Thomas Crooks’ attempted assassination of Trump, including shocking communications failures that resulted in the president’s protective detail never being warned that an armed man had climbed onto the American Glass Research International (AGR) complex’s roof just 155 yards from the...

A San Francisco man was busted after allegedly exposing himself while watching children outside a Northern California library — then made a shocking request to cops after his arrest.

“The Process” is rejuvenated in Philadelphia — at least according to its newest star, Jaylen Brown.

Liberty star Breanna Stewart has received this news seven times prior, but the revelation is no less significant.

Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff are risking an awkward run-in as they’re both attending Taylor Swift’s star-studded wedding festivities. The exes, who dated from 2012 to 2017, were both spotted arriving to Madison Square Garden Thursday evening for the pop star’s rehearsal dinner ahead of her wedding to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce....

Dunham and Antonoff dated for five years from 2012 to 2017 and are both now married to their respective partners.

The 4 Percent Rule Is Showing Its Age: Smarter Withdrawal Strategies For 2026

Authored by Peter Daisyme via Due,

The 4 percent rule has guided retirement planning for three decades. The idea is simple: withdraw 4 percent of your savings in year one, adjust that dollar amount for inflation each year after, and your money should last about 30 years. It is a useful starting point and a great mental shortcut. But the person who created it has spent recent years telling people it is far more flexible - and often more generous - than the rigid version most savers cling to.

Experts say the best retirement withdrawal strategy adjusts to changing conditions. oneinchpunch/shutterstock Where The 4 Percent Rule Came From

Financial planner William Bengen introduced the rule in 1994 after crunching decades of historical market data. He wanted to find the highest withdrawal rate that would have survived even the worst market conditions of the 20th century, including the Great Depression and the brutal 1970s. The answer he landed on was about 4 percent, and the figure stuck so firmly that it became gospel.

The crucial detail that gets lost is what "survived the worst case" actually means. Bengen was not describing the typical retirement - he was describing the single most unfortunate starting year in history. For the vast majority of retirees, a portfolio drawn down at 4 percent not only lasted; it grew substantially.

What The 4 Percent Rule Gets Right - And Wrong

The rule's strength lies in its simplicity and conservatism. It forces you to think in terms of a sustainable withdrawal rate rather than a lump sum, and it builds in a margin of safety. The weakness is that the same conservatism can leave you underspending for decades and dying with a fortune you never enjoyed.

"The 4 percent rule - or the newer version of the 4.7 percent rule - is the worst-case scenario. It's really designed for only the most conservative person to use in retirement planning."

That is Bengen himself, quoted by Bankrate. With broader diversification across asset classes, he has argued that retirees may be able to start with withdrawal rates closer to 4.7 percent in some circumstances. In other words, the famous 4 percent figure is better viewed as a conservative baseline than a hard spending limit.

Why 2026 Calls For A Flexible Approach

A fixed percentage ignores what is actually happening around you. Markets rise and fall, and inflation eats into every dollar you pull out. Bengen has called inflation retirees' "greatest enemy" for exactly this reason - a few bad inflation years early in retirement can do lasting damage to a portfolio. Morningstar's ongoing research has landed on a more cautious starting figure in some years, underscoring that there is no single magic number that works in every environment.

The real risk hiding behind the 4 percent rule is called sequence-of-returns risk. If the market drops sharply in your first few years of retirement while you are also withdrawing, you sell assets at depressed prices, and your portfolio may never fully recover. The same average return delivered in a different order can produce wildly different outcomes. That is why when you retire and how you adjust matter as much as the percentage you choose.

A Real-World Look At Sequence Risk

To see why flexibility matters so much, picture two retirees who both start with $1 million and both average the same 7 percent return over time. The only difference is the order of those returns. The first retiree hits a string of strong market years right after retiring; the second runs into a steep downturn in years one and two. Even though their average returns are identical over the long run, the second retiree is withdrawing money from a shrinking portfolio at the worst possible moment, locking in losses they can never fully recover. Years later, the first retiree may have more money than they started with, while the second is watching their balance dwindle.

That is sequence-of-returns risk in plain terms, and it is the best argument against rigidly withdrawing a fixed inflation-adjusted amount no matter what. A retiree willing to trim spending modestly during the early bad years dramatically improves their odds of never running out.

Three Withdrawal Strategies Worth Considering

Instead of locking yourself into one rate, build in flexibility. These approaches all reduce the odds of running dry while letting you spend more when conditions allow:

• Guardrails: Start near 5 percent, then trim spending in down years and give yourself a raise after strong ones.
• The bucket approach: Keep one to two years of expenses in cash so you never sell investments during a downturn.
• Dynamic spending: Tie withdrawals to portfolio performance rather than a rigid inflation adjustment, so your spending breathes with your balance.

Each acknowledges a simple truth: real retirees do not spend the exact same inflation-adjusted amount every year for 30 years. They flex, and a strategy that flexes with them is more realistic and usually more efficient.

How To Set Your Own Number

Your personal safe rate depends on several factors the rule of thumb ignores:

• Your retirement age and realistic life expectancy.
• How much of your spending is covered by guaranteed income, such as Social Security or a pension?
• Your asset mix and your tolerance for spending cuts in a bad year.
• Whether leaving a large inheritance is a goal or a non-issue.

A 70-year-old with a pension and modest spending can safely withdraw far more than 4 percent. A 55-year-old early retiree with no other income should probably start at a lower level. The number is personal, which is exactly why a one-size-fits-all rule eventually breaks down. The healthiest approach is an annual check-in where you review your balance, spending, and remaining time horizon, and then adjust. Early in retirement, when sequence risk is highest, these reviews matter most.

Don't Forget Taxes In Your Withdrawal Plan

Your withdrawal rate is only half the equation; the order in which you tap your accounts matters too. Pulling money tax-efficiently - generally from taxable accounts first, then tax-deferred accounts like a traditional 401(k), and finally Roth accounts - can stretch your savings meaningfully further than withdrawing haphazardly. Required minimum distributions, the taxation of Social Security, and Medicare premium thresholds all interact with how much you withdraw and from where. A retiree who coordinates withdrawals with taxes can often support a higher effective spending rate than one who ignores them, simply by keeping more money out of the government's hands. It is one more reason the rigid 4 percent rule is just a starting point rather than a complete plan.

The Bottom Line

Treat the 4 percent rule as a floor for planning, not a ceiling for spending. Run your own numbers, account for your guaranteed income and time horizon, stay flexible enough to adjust in volatile years, and revisit the plan annually. Done right, you avoid both nightmares: running out of money too soon and reaching the end of a long life having denied yourself a retirement you could easily have afforded. If you want a deeper framework, our retirement planning guide can help you pressure-test your assumptions before you stop working.

Tyler Durden Thu, 07/02/2026 - 22:35

Rep. Tom Suozzi says Democrats have to shake off the perception that they're unpatriotic.

Haven’t you heard? This is a retool. 

The linebacker might not be tackling football players anymore, but he’s moved on to tackling an important environmental task. 

The can't-miss showdown between the Iberian neighbors will go down at AT&T Stadium on July 6.