The design of anchored retaining wall usually represents a challenge for civil engineers, due to the complexity of the issue and the severe consequences that a possible rupture can cause. In order to improve understanding of the behavior of these structures, as well as its design, the present work describes the mechanisms that govern the behavior of these structures, for example: the arching of the stress, the redistribution of stress, concentration of stresses in the anchorages, etc. Although these mechanisms have a strong influence on behavior of the anchored retaining wall, they are usually not considered in design, because the Brazilian practice, the projects of these structures are made predominantly from simple calculation methods, for example by calculating the equilibrium limit, that does not account for these effects. Therefore, in the present work the limitations of this approach are discussed, and on the other hand are presented, via a case study, the benefits of the finite element method applied to the excavation analysis.