[masraum]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Approaching 63 I have similar questions. The problem is (in my mind), there’s no right answer. Until you know how long you’ll live, it’s just an educated guess. As a fiscally (too) conservative person, I’m about 50/50 between mutual funds of varying risk and cash. I know I’m missing out on gains, but have limited confidence in the markets. History has reliably proven me wrong though.

But at the same time, you don't want to be too heavy into the markets when you're nearly ready to begin withdrawing. If the markets tank right before you retire, and take 5-10 years to recover, your withdraws could drain your nest egg quickly. So to me, that's smart. It's probably not a bad idea to have 5-10 years of money in something stable, that way if the market tanks, you can use money that hasn't devalued.

But I'm far from expert, and quite a few years behind you.