Visualize how your stock/bond allocation should shift from accumulation to retirement
Allocation continues shifting after retirement for longevity protection — used by most target-date funds.
Click any rule to apply it as your current stock allocation.
| Age | Stocks | Bonds |
|---|---|---|
| 30Now | 90% | 10% |
| 35 | 84% | 16% |
| 40 | 79% | 21% |
| 45 | 73% | 27% |
| 50 | 67% | 33% |
| 55 | 61% | 39% |
| 60 | 56% | 44% |
| 65Retire | 50% | 50% |
| 70 | 46% | 54% |
| 75 | 42% | 58% |
| 80 | 38% | 62% |
| 85 | 34% | 66% |
| 90 | 30% | 70% |
A glide path is the planned shift of your portfolio from aggressive to conservative as retirement approaches — typically reducing stocks in favor of bonds to trade some growth for stability when you'll soon depend on the money. This calculator maps your allocation by age from your chosen start, retirement, and end points.
It also distinguishes "to" versus "through" glide paths: a "to" path reaches its most conservative allocation at retirement and holds; a "through" path keeps de-risking gradually into retirement, reflecting that a 30-year retirement still needs growth.
Rule of thumb: Stock % ≈ 110 − ageBecause a major crash just before or after retirement — when withdrawals begin — does disproportionate damage that later recoveries can't fully repair (sequence-of-returns risk). Bonds don't grow as fast, but they cushion exactly the years when you're most vulnerable.
A "to" path hits its final, most conservative mix at retirement day and stays there. A "through" path is still de-risking at retirement and continues for another decade or two. "Through" keeps more growth for a long retirement; "to" prioritizes stability sooner.
It's a reasonable starting point, updated from the older 100-minus-age as lifespans lengthened. Adjust for your risk tolerance, pension or Social Security coverage, and how flexible your spending could be in a downturn. Rules of thumb start the conversation; they don't finish it.
Some young investors with decades of runway and proven tolerance for volatility do. The danger isn't the math — it's selling in a panic. An allocation you can hold through a 40% drawdown beats a theoretically optimal one you'll abandon.
Why a 25-year-old and a 60-year-old shouldn't have the same portfolio, and how to plan your stock-to-bond transition.