Stocks vs Bonds Asset Allocation Calculator
Recommended stock / bond / cash split by age and risk tolerance — age-in-bonds, "120-minus-age", and target-date glide-path conventions.
Result
How to use this calculator
- Enter your current age.
- Pick risk tolerance honestly — the one that lets you sleep through a 30%+ drawdown without selling.
- Set horizon = years until you need to spend the money. For retirement at 65 and you're 35, that's 30+ years.
- The recommended split is a starting point — adjust for your specific liabilities and tax situation.
About this calculator
Asset allocation matters more than security selection for long-run returns. The classic "age in bonds" rule (bonds % = your age) was the standard for decades but is now considered too conservative because Americans live longer — a 65-yo today has a 50% chance of living past 85 and a 25% chance past 95. The modern Bogle / Vanguard adjustment is "120 minus age" for stock allocation. Target-date funds at Vanguard, Fidelity, and Schwab follow a published glide path that starts around 90% stocks for someone 30 years from retirement and ramps down to ~30% stocks by age 75. Risk tolerance flexes the rule ±10-15 percentage points: conservative investors gravitate lower-equity than the age rule suggests; aggressive higher. Horizon overrides everything — if you need the money in 3 years, you cannot be 80% in stocks no matter your age.
Frequently asked
Why does "age in bonds" feel too conservative now?+
Are international stocks really worth a 40% allocation?+
What about TIPS / I-Bonds in the "bonds" slice?+
Should real estate count as "stocks" or "bonds"?+
Source for the Vanguard glide-path benchmark?+
Source for "120 minus age" rule?+
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