What is your age and AA?

[Bounca]

Well heck, its nice just to get age to face info from all the members here. Or should I say age-to-avatar.

35/34 (she's on eup on me )

75/25 stock/bond

....based on responses I wonder if I'm being a hair too conservative.

[jeff1949]

I'm 57 and wife is 53

30% I-Bonds (3.0 real and above type)
10% Total Bond Fund
12% VG Emer. Mkt.
12% VG REIT
12% VG S&P 500
12% VG Small Value
12% VG TM International

[grabiner]

Well heck, its nice just to get age to face info from all the members here. Or should I say age-to-avatar.

35/34 (she's on eup on me )

75/25 stock/bond

....based on responses I wonder if I'm being a hair too conservative.

Investors on this thread are all over the place. 75/25 is normal for someone your age with an average risk tolerance; 110-age in stocks (age-10 in bonds) is a common recommendation.

I am the most or second-most aggressive investor on this thread (129-age in stocks, and the stocks are biased towards higher risks; Judsen is 140-age but isn't primarily living off his portfolio) but I wouldn't recommend a portfolio like mine to anyone who hasn't been through a bear market with a mostly-stock portfolio and is still convinced that it is appropriate. I didn't have a portfolio like this until 2002, when I had five years of investing experience and had just gone through the bubble.

[kcyahoo]

1. I am 64 and my wife is 63. We have been retired for 7 years, since the end of 1999.
2. My primary goal is income with modest growth.
3. My wife and I have received Social Security since age 62.
4. My Cash/Short-Term Bond positions are meant to allow for a 24 month market ride-through, and more, if needed.
5. My portfolio is a variant of the Coffeehouse.
6. My target asset allocation is: 50% Stocks / 40% Bonds / 10% Cash

Fixed (Bonds & Cash)
Prime MM…...VMMXX… 10.0%
HY Corp……..VWEHX… ..5.0%
Infl Prot……..VIPSX……..5.0%
ST IG Corp…VFSTX…….5.0%
GNMA………...VFIJX…….25.0%

My 50% version of the Coffeehouse 10/10/10/10/10/10 equity split
Lrg Cap Idx……...VLACX….9.0%
Value Idx………....VIVAX…..9.0%
SmCap Idx………..NAESX.…9.0%
SmCapVal Idx…..VISVX…..9.0%
REIT Idx………....…VGSIX….5.0%
Tot Int’l Stk Idx….VGTSX…4.0%
EmergMkts Idx…..VGTSX….1.0%
Int’l Value………....VTRIX…...4.0%
…100.0%

Tot International Allocation……………………9.0%
Tot Emerg Mkt of Intn’l…..……………………26.6%
International funds as a % of stock funds...18.0%
Index funds as a % of stock funds....…………92.0%.
• REIT allocation is larger than the 5% in VGSIX when you consider REITs held in other funds. I estimate 7% - 8% in REITs.
• I like GNMAs because of the income stream. I have had a large allocation in GNMAs since 2000.
• I have a few shares of stock in the Company I retired from.

M* X-Ray Stocks Box
22 18 08 Total 48%
14 12 04 Total 30%
11 07 04 Total 22%
47 37 16 100%
LC Allocation = approx MC + SC Allocation

M* X-Ray Bonds Box
11 63 13 Total 87%
00 13 00. Total 13%
00 00 00 Total 100%

M* X-Ray Portfolio Asset Allocator
12% Cash
37% Bonds
20% US Large Cap Stocks
22% US Mid-Cap & Small-Cap Stocks
09% Foreign Stocks

Expected Annual Return………9.0% Vanguard Portfolio Watch
Expected Annual Return………8.5% My Model
Portfolio Standard variation…7.62 Quicken
Risk Level: (.83) Mod.Conserv Financial Engines
All models:…99% probability of lasting 25 years.
My wife and I have LTC insurance.

Total Annual Withdrawal Rate…5.3% (A)
Obtained by:
Portfolio Yield………..............….3.6% (B)
Share Withdrawal……..............1.7% (C)
(A) This plus Soc Sec = Annual Expenses
(B) Approx 69% of withdrawal from dividends
(C) Approx 31% of withdrawal from share draw-down

KC

[shadowrings]

44.5 years old

80/20 equity/bond

85/15 domestic/intl (actually more like 75/25 haven't added in my adjusted 401K yet)

40/40/20 large/mid/small cap


vickie

[tokyoleone]

50 years old, living with partner in Japan. Current allocation looks roughly like this;

50% US stocks (mix of Vanguard large and small cap index funds)
20% International stocks (Vanguard Total International, GWX small cap internatinal ETF)
30% bonds (Vanguard Intermediate and Short term bond indexes)

Emergency funds in Prime Money market fund and Yen savings accounts in Japanese banks. Looking to increase exposure to Japanese market as this is now my home.

[livesoft]

Age: late 40's
Fixed: 25% total: Cash 8%, Bonds 17%
Stocks: 75% total: US 45%, International 30%
60% of stocks are Large Cap, 40% of stocks are mid/small cap

More importantly to me, I have benefitted from advice here about tax efficiency. I have reduced my holdings in a balanced fund in my taxable account and increased my holdings in bond funds in my 401(k) and 529 plans. I think I have about the same overall allocation but will save thousands of dollars in taxes. Thanks!

[Spyder]

Age: 40

Asset Allocation: (80/20)

55% US Equity
20% Foreign Equity/EM
5% REIT
20% Intermediate Bonds

[TheEternalVortex]

Age: 20

Asset Allocation: 80/20
60% Total Stock Market
20% Total International
20% Total Bond Market

The symmetry is pretty . I am planning on changing 20% of the TSM to SV but I don't have any more room in tax advantages so I'm waiting until next year.

[Spyder]

This is a little off topic for this post; but you look at the avatars from the original post and the first reply together it gives a strange image (serendipity). norm has a plane landing in an orange sky (the sunset) and TnGuy has an orange mushroom cloud. If you look at them together it looks like the plane just dropped a bomb. I know that the plane is a jet, not a bomber, but it's still a strange image.

It looks like norm dropped a bomb on TnGuy.

[Chrispy]

It looks like norm dropped a bomb on TnGuy.

I noticed that too!


It's good to see that there are a lot of 20-somethings here. Reading this and the M* board it can sometimes seems like every diehard is 60+ and retired (no offense to anyone of course!)

[dcBoglehead]

Ages: 35/35

70% Equity / 30% Fixed

50% US
20% International
10% TIPS
20% Intermediate Bond

[Gekko]

first post here. nice forum. i'm gordong in the other forum.

age 37.

CASH 16%
BONDS 16%
STOCKS 68% (VG INDEX 500 and VG HEALTH CARE ONLY)
TOTAL 100%

[norm]

This is a little off topic for this post; but you look at the avatars from the original post and the first reply together it gives a strange image (serendipity). norm has a plane landing in an orange sky (the sunset) and TnGuy has an orange mushroom cloud. If you look at them together it looks like the plane just dropped a bomb. I know that the plane is a jet, not a bomber, but it's still a strange image.

It looks like norm dropped a bomb on TnGuy.

Spyder,

If I bomb someone there is not doubt about it.

[henry]

My first post too!

age: 32

80 percent equity
48 percent US (split about 60% large, 20% mid and 20% small)
24 percent International
8 percent REIT/real estate

20 percent bond

Have lurked on either this board and/or the old Morningstar forum for more than a year and have learned a lot by reading other members' questions and then others' responses. I read several of the books recommended by the this forum before finally working my way toward the above allocation.

Henry

[Spyder]

If I bomb someone there is not doubt about it.

That cracks me up. :lol:

What are you doing tonight? :roll:

Oh, It's Friday night; I thought I'd get bombed.

Isn't that the norm for a Friday night?

[hwhuang]

Age: 29/30

43% US Stocks
38% International Stocks
17% Bonds
2% Cash

[drjdpowell]

I don't keep to very exact precentages, but my current holdings are (approx.):

60% stock, 40% fixed income

Stock:
50% Europe
15% Pacific
15% Emerging Markets
15% US
5% US REITs

Bond:
A variety of US fixed income funds, including stable value, long term bonds, and high yield.

-- James
Note: I'm not in the US permanently and so the large "international" portion is to reduce currency risk.

[sgmcenroe]

Age 55, single, no wife or kids

I have been switching all my investment and retirement accounts over to Vanguard since Jan. 1 (everything in index funds) and just completed moving my Roth IRA from Fidelity. Aside from a family stock asset in a strong regional bank, everything is now with Vanguard, and just tonight I was seeing how my asset allocation was shaping up. Note the Med/Sm stock assests include about 11% of my assests in Vanguard's REIT. Here it is, hot off the press -

4.5% Cash
32% Large Stock
29% Med/Sm Stock
14.5% Int Stock
20% Bonds

[MitchellF]

Age 33 wife is 31

26% Med/Small
7% EM
31% International
28% LC
8% TIAA RE

I am such a slacker, I really need to rework this a bit. I do feel that with a SD that is lower than bond funds I am comfortable using the TIAA RE for a while instead of bonds.

[LH]

38 wife 39

1/6 SP500 SPY
1/6 USA small cap VBR
1/6 EM VWO
1/6 Europe VGK
1/6 Pacific VPL
1/12 FXI - performance chasing scum.
1/12 REIT VNQ - scared to go all in

Plan next year is to change all of the above to 1/7 and 1/14 and add Bonds in at 1/7 weight. I actually have a bit of money sitting in MMF in portfolio already. I will go TBM BND most likely with maybe some TIPS. Have just finished Mcgraw hills bond book (which basically said I did not need bonds), and I have just started Swedroes book on bonds. Maybe he will change me to intermediate treasuries and tips. I dunno, bond choice seems not as clear cut issue to me, it hits more squarely on ones concept of risk much more so than stocks, and my risk concept is evolving here constantly : )

Interesting to see so many younger people who are in bonds already.

I also have a few stocks and such that in reality are likely 20 percent of portfolio that I need to get rid of at some point. Best time to sell is never, hard schema to break : )

[SpaceMonkey]

Age: 24.

Not accounting my cash emergency fund/"near term" savings:

Domestic equity: 66%
Foreign equity: 21%
Total Bond Market: 11%
REIT: 2% (I just started a job that has a TIAA-CREF 403(b))

My cash savings dwarf my retirement plan savings at this point. With the cash savings:

Domestic equity: 18%
Foreign equity: 6%
Total Bond Market: 3%
REIT: 0.5%
Cash: 73%

[scotto]

Age 46/44

EM 20%
Intl 30%
Mid 11%
Small 36%
Cash 2%

[norm]

[/quote]
That cracks me up. :lol:

What are you doing tonight? :roll:

Oh, It's Friday night; I thought I'd get bombed.

Isn't that the norm for a Friday night? [/quote]

Sorry Spyder but my wife doesn't let me out of the cage on weekends.

Bombing is such a messy way to go I'd rather get stoned.

[norm]

The average AA so far is:

Over 55 - 55/45 Equities/Bonds & Cash

Under 55 - 80/20

[bpp]

Stocks: 50/25/25 Japan/US/Elsewhere (VTI, VEU, plus individual Japanese stocks passively held)
Bonds: 50/25/25 Japan/US/Elsewhere (I Bonds, Japanese kojinmuke kokusai, plus sovereigns and MMFs in various currencies.)

Bonds percentage: age - 10.

[Alan Lisook]

Age 75
Wife 73

94% stock, 6% bonds

But I must qualify this by noting that I receive a cost of living adjusted defined benefit Federal pension, which I consider to be a 5% return on imaginary bonds. With the imaginary bonds included, my AA is just about 50/50.

[unclemick]

widower, age 63, 14th year of retirement.

85% Target Retirement 2015 and 15% individual dividend type 'widows and orphan stocks'.

Vanguard port. analysis - 65, 32, 3: stocks, bonds, cash.

Note early SS and non cola pension are 40% of income - and no I'm not going to try an equivalent 'fixed' calculation.

heh heh heh 8) .

[dcd]

Age 61, retired
Wife 60
One daughter still at home age 14.

70% stocks/30% bonds
Vanguard Coffeehouse style portfolio. Currently making no withdrawals and probably won't for several years.

I also have a defined benefit pension with 3% annual cost of living adjustment and will begin Social Security benfits at age 62.

[stmille]

Age: 28

Allocation: 80/20

80% Equity
- 50% US Large - VTSMX
- 25% US Small - NAESX
- 25% Intl Large - DODFX

20% Fixed
- 100% Int-term Index - VBMFX

I sleep well and feel at peace. =)

[banker]

Age: 26

Allocation: 80/20

Canadian Index (20%)
Canadian Bond Index (20%)
International Index (20%)
Emerging Markets Index (20%)
US Index C$ (20%)

(Im only overweight Canada because I am a Canadian). Love the forum you guys have here and envy your Vanguard funds!!

[gnosis]

How about an update on this pre-Great Recession thread? Let's see how many of you stuck with your plan, and how many ended up making big changes to their AA. If you did already post here back in 2007, perhaps you could quote your original post with your new one so we can easily appreciate your changes.

I wasn't even a member here when this thread was started in 2007, but I can tell you that I was just getting started with investing at that time, I had nothing to lose, so I never made any major changes.

I'm 33. She's 31.

80% stocks (2/3 Total US, 1/3 Total International)
20% Interm-term Treasury Index - VFITX

[gnosis]

... and here's my parents' too, why not...

He's 69. She's 57.

40% stocks (75% Total US, 25% Total International)
50% bonds (30% G fund, 20% TIPS, 50% Total Bond Market)
10% cash

[vectorizer]

Me 49
Spouse 46
Hoping for retirement at 60

28% bonds (Short Term Invest. + longer individual bonds)
72% stocks
increasing bond proportion by 2% per year, so at age 60 it'll be 50/50

of stocks,
25% international (Total Int'l Mkt)
75% domestic

of domestic,
50% large (large part of Total Stk Mkt)
50% mid/small (other part of TSM + Extended Mkt + Small Cap Idx)

- large / mid /small proportions as defined by Morningstar
- would rather split domestic 4 ways large-value large-growth mid-small-value mid-small-growth
--- 401k limits fund choices, but grateful to have Vanguard funds

Yup, largely stuck with AA plan. Our ages are 4 years older, and bonds are now 36% as planned. Did have some panic at the scariest time (Oct. '08?): I liquidated the taxable account in TSM (~10% of portfolio) and put that money in a CD, but also increased stock allocation in other (tax-deferred) accounts to maintain overall AA. I've since restored the taxable TSM.

Oh wait, did I say I panicked-sold the taxable account? I meant I strategically tax-loss-harvested.

[Cernel]

My wife and I are 59,
I am retired (2 years), my wife works part-time

AA: 55/40/5 Equities/Bond/Cash
Equities: 55%
- Total Stock Market (25%)
- FTSE All World ex US (15%)
- Small Cap Value (10%)
- REIT (5%)

Bonds: 40%
- Total Bond (30%)
- TIPS (10%)

Cash (5%)
- 5 Year CDs

[Dogfather]

Age 68, wife 61. Private pension and social security more than covers monthly expenses.

Asset allocation with VG is 55% bonds, 35% US stock funds, 10% Int'l. Dividends from these funds provides discretionary income as needed.

[JW-Retired]

Both in mid-60s. I'm still working but not for much longer.

55% equities/45% bonds & cash. 25% of equities foreign
JW

[word]

Both 26, from M* xray:

U.S. Stocks 44
Foreign Stocks 26
Bonds 27
Other 1

[BTDT]

age 64 DW58

50% equities, 45% bonds, 5% cash (70% w/Vanguard) 3 pensions cover needs

[givewell]

Age 69 Wife 64, both working and intending to do so for at least the next 5 years

30% Cap weighted Equity Index Funds -------Split roughly market cap weighted: 55%International 45% Domestic
8% Commercial Real Estate Fund ------------TIAA Real Estate Account --- Our only way into the $ 23 TRILLION Com. Re.Market (without taking on much more equities)
62% Bonds -----------------------------------------Split roughly 60% Nominal, 40% Tips - intending to move to 50 Nom/50 TIPS over next 3-4 years.

[jimkinny]

Age 64, retired, working part time in winter. COLA'ed pension and SS are enough to meet all daily needs. Our 20/80 stock /bond allocation is for big ticket items such as new car every ten years.

I guess we are just risk adverse.

Chris

maybe risk adverse but smart also.

[Sheepdog]

2007 allocation
My age 73
Wife 67
retired with no pension, just SS
31.5% equities
20 % I Bonds
44.5% bond funds
4% cash or equivalent
Jim

Oct. 22, 2011 allocation
My age 78.
wife 71
Retired, no pension and no tension,
(reduced equities as aged)
23.0% equities
21.5% I bonds
49.0% bond funds
6.5% cash or equivalent
edit: (We have taken out an average of 4.5% each year for expenses. Our investment balance is slightly higher than in 2007. That's why there's no tension.)
Jim

[Lon]

Age 76

Bonds 66%
Stock 34%

[Mr Grumpy]

Me - 64 years, wife 63
50/50 Stocks/Bonds-Cash

TSM 25%
Intl indx 13%
Emerg Mkts 7%
REITS 5%
------
Total Bd indx 25%
TIPS 10%
Cash 15%

[staythecourse]

Great thread.

I'm 35 and wife is 30. Both working.

We are quite conservative: 40/20/20/20 (stocks/bonds/cash/alternative investments)

Good luck.

[letsgobobby]

37.5 years average age.

60/40 baseline with room to roam, tactically allocated; currently 55/45.

[investor]

Age 70
Pension and Social Security provide most of needed income
retired 15 years

current allocation:
65 Stocks
35 Bonds.

investor

[FabLab]

We're in our sixties and keep our AA at 50/50 stocks/bonds and don't count cash as part of the investment portfolio.

Cheers
Ron

[wander]

I do not follow AA using age as a standard.
More than 10 years to retirement: bond% = 20.
1 to 10 years to retirement: bond% approaches 40
In retirement: bond ~ 60%.

[foxfirev5]

Age 55 / DW 54

Stocks - 45%
TSM - 35%
TISM - 8%
REIT - 2%

Bonds 45%
TBM - 23%
PTTRX- 22%

Cash/ SV Funds 10%

Small non cola pension, two houses no mortgage , planning to retire in 3-6 years, 3-4 years in cash living expenses. Unlike some I plan to keep roughly the same AA in the first decade or so of retirement. After age 70 gradually decease stock holdings.