You can count on framework classes to retain things that they need unless otherwise documented. This is part of Cocoa's memory management rules. You should read that document and let it sink in, because once you understand it, basically all of your memory management questions go away — conversely, if you don't take the time to understand that document, you'll always feel uncertain. Luckily, it's pretty simple.
Also, I would be careful about relying too much on other people telling you the rules. Especially in informal settings like Stack Overflow, people have a tendency to simplify and misspeak, leading to misunderstandings — meanwhile, the official rules have been proofread many, many times over the years.