jIM_Ohio

The best way to invest your money depends on how long you expect to live, how much risk you are willing to take, and how you expect the market to behave short and long term.

Market- the biggest risk to any plans is the market going south for a year or two or three at beginning of retirement.

Risk- if you invest with an 80%-20% stock-bond mix, you can reap the rewards of a bull market. 60-40 mix will help you not lose much during a bear market. A 40-60 mix might allow you to live off of interest and dividends without ever selling a single security.

Age-Every year you live, you increase the risk you will run out of money. As prices increase (inflation), the risk that you will run out of money also increases.

What I would do, add up all retirement assets you have.
Divide by 25. Can you live on that income each year? If so, this is the 4% rule and a 40-60 or 60-40 mix of stocks and bonds will make sense.

If the number is too high (assets/25 is too high) try dividing by 33. If assets/33 is enough to live on, then consider using dividends to be the source of income- an 80-20 type portfolio where the 80% equity position is geared towards stocks which pay a dividend (3-4% yield).

If the number is too low (assets/25 is too low), I would argue you don't have enough to retire on, unless you give more explanation.

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