Retirement was the dominant theme of the top 10 articles for 2025, though there were a handful of other topics covered among them.
William Bernstein led the pack with his article titled “Here We Go Again: Merton Share and Why I Don’t Use Retirement Calculators.” The article discusses why the Merton Share model — much like all asset allocation algorithms — falls short. Without omniscience, no model is foolproof.
Allan Roth snagged the No. 2 spot with a detailed analysis of Vanguard’s market expectations for the next 10 years. “Examining Vanguard’s Forecasted Returns for the Decade Ahead” highlighted some of the more surprising conclusions to be drawn from the giant fund manager’s expectations.
Bernstein popped up again in the third-most-read article, “Smart Roth, Dumb Roth,” which was co-authored by Edward McQuarrie, a professor emeritus at Santa Clara University. The article analyzed the different scenarios in which it makes more sense to implement a Roth IRA than another wrapper.
“The Trial of Barry Ritholtz,” by Michael Edesess, fell into the fourth-most-read spot on the list. The mostly positive review evaluated Ritholtz Wealth Management founder Barry Ritholtz’s most recent book on investing, How Not to Invest: The ideas, numbers, and behavior that destroy wealth—and how to avoid them.
Ron Surz’s April article, titled “A Warning to Baby Boomers and Others Regarding the China-U.S. Trade War,” claimed the No. 5 ranking. The piece laid out the risks to retirement portfolios represented by the escalating tensions between the U.S. and China due to tariffs.
