We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. Learn more.

Unconventional Investing Advice From a Retirement Expert

Retirement plan with calculator and pie charts. - doockie—Getty Images/iStockphoto
Retirement plan with calculator and pie charts. doockie—Getty Images/iStockphoto

Wade Pfau, professor of Retirement Income at American College and founder of retirementresearcher.com, argues that the usual advice about investing in retirement — hold fewer stocks and stock mutual funds in retirement, and keep your stock holdings low — isn't the best approach.

Read more: Don't Let the '4% Rule' Sink Your Retirement Goals

Pfau agrees with one aspect of the standard advice: As you approach retirement, and at the moment you retire, you should be reducing risk, which translates into less of your portfolio invested in stocks and more invested in bonds. That's the approach taken by target-date retirement mutual funds. But as you age in retirement, he says, you should slowly increase the percentage of your portfolio invested in stocks.

Tags