Investment Strategies By Age

Your age is a major factor in the investment strategy you choose and the assets you invest in. The investments someone makes when they’re in their 20s should look very different from the investments they make in their 50s.

Generally speaking, the younger you are, the more risk you may be able to tolerate because you’ll have time to make up for investment losses you might incur. Conversely, the closer you are to retirement, the more conservative you’ll want to be since you have less time to recoup from any losses. In other words, your investments need to align with your risk tolerance, time horizon, and financial goals.

Most important of all, you need to start saving for retirement now so that you won’t be caught short when it’s time to retire. According to a 2024 SoFi survey of adults 18 and older, 59% of respondents had no retirement savings at all or less than $49,999.

Here is some information to consider at different ages.

Investing in Your 20s

In your 20s, you’ve just started in your career and likely aren’t yet earning a lot. You’re probably also paying off debt such as student loans. Despite those challenges, this is an important time to begin investing with any extra money you have. The sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to save for retirement. Plus, you can take advantage of the power of compounding returns over the decades. These strategies can help get you on your investing journey.

Strategy 1: Participate in a Retirement Savings Plan

One of the easiest ways to start saving for retirement is to enroll in an employer-sponsored plan like a 401(k). Your contributions are generally automatically deducted from your paycheck, making it easier to save.

If possible, contribute at least enough to qualify for your employer’s 401(k) match if they offer one. That way your company will match a percentage of your contributions up to a certain limit, and you’ll be earning what’s essentially free money.

Those who don’t have access to an employer-sponsored plan might want to consider setting up an individual retirement account (IRA). There are different types of IRAs, but two of the most common are traditional and Roth IRAs. Both let you contribute the same amount (up to $7,000 in 2024 for those under age 50), but one key difference is the way the two accounts are taxed. With Roth IRAs, contributions are not tax deductible, but you can withdraw money tax-free in retirement. With traditional IRAs, you deduct your contributions upfront and pay taxes on distributions when you retire.

Strategy 2: Explore Diversification

As you’re building a portfolio, consider diversification. Diversification involves spreading your investments across different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). One way twentysomethings might diversify their portfolios is by investing in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Mutual funds are pooled investments typically in stocks or bonds, and they trade once per day at the end of the day. ETFs are baskets of securities that trade on a public exchange and trade throughout the day.

You may be able to invest in mutual funds or ETFs through your 401(k) or IRA. Or you could open a brokerage account to begin investing in them.

Strategy 3: Consider Your Approach and Comfort Level

As mentioned, the younger an individual is, the more time they may have to recover from any losses or market downturns. Deciding what kind of approach they want to take at this stage could be helpful.

For instance, one approach involves designating a larger portion of investments to growth funds, mutual funds or ETFs that reflect a more aggressive investing style, but it’s very important to understand that this also involves higher risk. You may feel that a more conservative approach that’s less risky suits you better. What you choose to do is fully up to you. Weigh the options and decide what makes sense for you.

Investing in Your 30s

Once you’re in your 30s, you may have advanced in your career and started earning more money. However, at this stage of life you may also be starting a family, and you likely have financial obligations such as a mortgage, a car loan, and paying for childcare. Plus, you’re probably still paying off your student loans. Still, despite these expenses, contributing to your retirement should be a top priority. Here are some ways to do that.

Strategy 1: Maximize Your Contributions

Now that you’re earning more, this is the time to max out your 401(k) or IRA if you can, which could help you save more for retirement. In 2024, you can contribute up to $23,000 in a 401(k) and up to $7,000 in an IRA. (If you have a Roth IRA, there are income limits you need to meet to be eligible to contribute the full amount, which is one thing to consider when choosing between a Roth IRA vs. a traditional IRA.)

Strategy 2: Consider Adding Fixed-Income Assets to the Mix

While you can likely still afford some risk since you have several decades to recover from downturns or losses, you may also want to add some fixed-income assets like bonds or bond funds to your portfolio to help counterbalance the risk of growth funds and give yourself a cushion against potential market volatility. For example, an investor in their 30s might want 20% to 30% of their portfolio to be bonds. But, of course, you’ll want to determine what specific allocation makes the most sense for your particular situation.

Strategy 3: Get Your Other Financial Goals On Track

While saving for retirement is crucial, you should also make sure that your overall financial situation is stable. That means paying off your debts, especially high-interest debt like credit cards, so that it doesn’t continue to accrue interest. In addition, build up your emergency fund with enough money to tide you over for at least three to six months in case of a financial setback, such as a major medical expense or getting laid off from your job. And finally, make sure you have enough funds to cover your regular expenses, such as your mortgage payment and insurance.

Investing in Your 40s

You may be in — or approaching — your peak earning years now. At the same time, you likely have more expenses, as well, such as putting away money for your children’s college education, and saving up for a bigger house. Fortunately, you probably have at least 20 years before retirement, so there is still time to help build your nest egg. Consider these steps:

Strategy 1: Review Your Progress

According to one rule of thumb, by your 40s, you should have 3x the amount of your salary saved for retirement. This is just a guideline, but it gives you an idea of what you may need. Another popular guideline is the 80% rule of aiming to save at least 80% of your pre-retirement income. And finally, there is the 4% rule that says you can take your projected annual retirement expenses and divide them by 4% (0.04) to get an estimate of how much money you’ll need for retirement.

These are all rough targets, but they give you a benchmark to compare your current retirement savings to. Then, you can make adjustments as needed.

Strategy 2: Get Financial Advice

If you haven’t done much in terms of investing up until this point, it’s not too late to start. Seeking help from financial advisors and other professionals may help you establish a financial plan and set short-term and long-term financial goals.

Even for those who have started saving, meeting with a financial specialist could be useful if you have questions or need help mapping out your next steps or sticking to your overall strategy.

Strategy 3: Focus on the Your Goals

Since they might have another 20-plus years in the market before retirement, some individuals may choose to keep a portion of their portfolio allocated to stocks now. But of course, it’s also important to be careful and not take too much risk. For instance, while nothing is guaranteed and there is always risk involved, you might feel more comfortable in your 40s choosing investments that have a proven track record of returns.

Investing in Your 50s

You’re getting close to retirement age, so this is the time to buckle down and get serious about saving safely. If you’ve been a more aggressive investor in earlier decades, you’ll generally want to become more conservative about investing now. You’ll need your retirement funds in 10 years or so, and it’s vital not to do anything that might jeopardize your future. These investment strategies by age may be helpful to you in your 50s:

Strategy 1: Add Stability to Your Portfolio

One way to take a more conservative approach is to start shifting more of your portfolio to fixed-income assets like bonds or bond funds. Although these investments may result in lower returns in the short term compared to assets like stocks, they can help generate income when you begin withdrawing funds in retirement since bonds provide you with periodic interest payments.

You may also want to consider lower-risk investments like money market funds at this stage of your investment life.

Strategy 2: Take Advantage of Catch-up Contributions

Starting at age 50, you become eligible to make catch-up contributions to your 401(k) or IRA. In 2024, you can contribute an additional $7,500 to your 401(k) for a total contribution of $30,500 for the year if you max out your plan.

In 2024, the catch-up contribution for an IRA is an additional $1,000 for a total maximum contribution of $8,000 for the year. This allows you to stash away even more money for retirement.

Strategy 3: Consider Downsizing

Your kids may be out of the house now, which can make it the ideal time to cut back on some major expenses in order to save more. You might want to move into a smaller home, for instance, or get rid of an extra car you no longer need.

Think about what you want your retirement lifestyle to look like — lots of travel, more time for hobbies, starting a small business, or whatever it might be — and plan accordingly. By cutting back on some expenses now, you may be able to save more for your future pastimes.

Investing in Your 60s

Retirement is fast approaching, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to pull back on your investing. Every little bit you can continue to save and invest now can help build your nest egg. Remember, your retirement savings may need to last you for 30 years or even longer. Here are some strategies that may help you accumulate the money you need.

Strategy 1: Get the Most Out of Social Security

The average retirement age in the U.S. is 65 for men and 63 for women. But you may decide you want to work for longer than that. Waiting to retire can pay off in terms of Social Security benefits. The longer you wait, the bigger your monthly benefit will be.

The earliest you can start receiving Social Security Benefits is age 62, but your benefits will be reduced by as much as 30% if you take them that early. If you wait until your full retirement age, which is 67 for those born in 1960 or later, you can begin receiving full benefits.

However, if you wait until age 70 by working longer or working part time, say, the size of your benefits will increase substantially. Typically, for each additional year you wait to claim your benefits up to age 70, your benefits will grow by 8%.

Strategy 2: Review Your Asset Allocation

Just before and during retirement, it’s important to make sure your portfolio has enough assets such as bonds and dividend-paying stocks so that you’ll have income coming in. You’ll also want to stash away some cash for unexpected expenses that might pop up in the short term; you could put that money in your emergency fund.

Some individuals in their 60s may choose to keep some stocks with growth potential in their asset allocation as a way to potentially avoid outliving their savings and preserve their spending power. Overall, people at this stage of life may want to continue the more conservative approach to investing they started in their 50s, and not choose anything too aggressive or risky.

Strategy 3: Keep investing in your 401(k) as long as you’re still working.

If you can, max out your 401(k), including catch-up contributions, in your 60s to sock away as much as possible for retirement. This can be especially helpful if you didn’t invest as much as you ideally should have at earlier ages. Contributing to your 401(k) could also help lower your taxable income now, when you may be in a higher income tax bracket than you were in previous decades.

Also, you can continue to contribute to any IRAs you may have — up to the limit allowed by the IRS, which is $8,000 in 2024, including catch-up contributions. If you have a Roth IRA, you will need to meet the income limits in order to contribute.

The Takeaway

Investing for retirement should be a priority throughout your adult life, starting in your 20s. The sooner you begin, the more time you’ll have to save. And while it’s never too late to start investing for retirement, focusing on investment strategies by age, and changing your approach accordingly, can generally help you reach your financial goals.

For instance, in your 20s and 30s you can typically be more aggressive since you have time to make up for any downturns or losses. But as you get closer to retirement in your 40s, 50s, and 60s, your investment strategy should shift and take on a more conservative approach. Like your age, your investment strategy should adjust across the decades to help you live comfortably and enjoyably in your golden years.

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