Retirement Security
Investment Shift Around Retirement
Glide paths reduce equity exposure near retirement — but going too conservative risks longevity.
Executive Summary
Glide paths reduce equity exposure near retirement — but going too conservative risks longevity. This retirement security brief synthesizes peer-reviewed research, regulatory data (NAIC, BLS, Federal Reserve SCF, FEMA, SSA), and InsuranceQuoteToolkit's proprietary HRI and FSI scoring models. Use it as a decision-grade reference — not a marketing overview.
Key Takeaways
- Equity floor 40–60% even in retirement
- Hold 5–7 years cash + bonds
- Coordinate with sequence buffer
- Don't try to time the market
Research-Backed Guidance
The findings above draw on multi-source household-resilience research. Our review process triangulates federal data sets (BLS Consumer Expenditure, Federal Reserve SCF, NAIC market conduct filings), longitudinal academic studies, and the InsuranceQuoteToolkit national resilience panel. Read our methodology center for full scoring and weighting details.
- • Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances — liquidity & net worth distributions
- • Bureau of Labor Statistics CEX — household burn-rate baselines
- • NAIC consumer publications — coverage prevalence and gap analytics
- • FEMA National Risk Index — geographic peril exposure
Practical Recommendations
- Use target-date funds as baseline
- Customize based on cash needs
Action Checklist
Print or screenshot this list. Move from a Moderate to Strong tier on the relevant index by completing each item within 60–90 days.
- 1Equity floor 40–60% even in retirement
- 2Hold 5–7 years cash + bonds
- 3Coordinate with sequence buffer
- 4Don't try to time the market
- 5Use target-date funds as baseline
- 6Customize based on cash needs
FAQ
Too conservative is also risky?
Yes — 40% stocks at age 70 still loses to 30-year inflation.