The Rule of 100 Will Help You With Your Asset Allocation (2024)

Investing, Personal Finance ·

I overheard a friend of mine say that he was having difficulty selecting investment options within his 401(k). With such a long time-horizon, he was aware of the aggressive strategy he should have (more stocks than bonds), but he wasn’t sure of the exact allocations. For someone with such a dilemma – uncertain as to what asset allocation they should have – the Rule of 100 is reliable.

Simply put…

More specifically, the Rule of 100 exemplifies how much risk an investor should take at a specific age.

To simplify the Rule of 100 calculation: You should have your age invested in bonds, and 100 minus your age invested in stocks.

Rule of 100 Example:

Let’s use me as an example.

100

– 26 (age)

= 74% invested in equities

= 26% invested in bonds

The Rule of 100 assumes every investor of the same age has similar risk tolerances, which is not the case. I have encountered a 25 year-old that cringes at the thought of losing a dollar and an 85 year-old that will (without hesitation) bet half of her net worth on black. We are all different…so tweak accordingly.

A common adjustment to the Rule of 100 is to add 10% to equities if you are a risk taker and subtract 10% from equities if you are risk averse. So if you are a strapping young lad with a white-haired woman trapped inside of you, it’s fine to go 65-35. In the Intelligent Investor, Benjamin Graham warns never to go outside of 75-25.

  • But what if you have 40 years until retirement and historically stocks will outperform bonds? Wouldn’t it make more sense to be 100% equities?
  • But haven’t bonds actually outperformed stocks over the past 30 years? Wouldn’t it make more sense to put 100% in a “less-risky” investment that yields higher returns?

Both of these questions are correct. Over the long-term, stocks have seen the highest gains among traditional investments. Also, according to Bloomberg, over the last 30 years (which is a pretty long-term, no?) long-term government bonds have gained 11.5% a year beating the 10.8% increase in the S&P 500. Even so, it would be a great risk to allocate 100% of your portfolio to either investment.

What do you all think of the Rule of 100? Is it useful? Is it completely wrong?

The Rule of 100 Will Help You With Your Asset Allocation (1)

A Blinkin

Hunter, aka A. Blinkin, is the blogger behind Funancials. His experience in banking, lending, payments and investments has earned him the title of "Personal Finance Guru." In addition to helping people with their finances, Hunter enjoys crunchy tacos, open mouth kisses from his 2 baby boys and writing in third person.

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The Rule of 100 Will Help You With Your Asset Allocation (2024)

FAQs

The Rule of 100 Will Help You With Your Asset Allocation? ›

A popular approach is the 100 Rule: Subtract your age from 100 and allocate the result as a percentage of stocks. This is because the younger you are, the higher the risk tolerance and longer the time horizon, while the inverse is true for those closer to retirement age.

What is the asset allocation rule of 100? ›

Determining the allocation of assets is a pivotal choice for investors, and a widely used initial guideline by many advisors is the “100 minus age” rule. This principle recommends investing the result of subtracting your age from 100 in equities, with the remaining portion allocated to debt instruments.

What is the rule of 100 in retirement? ›

What Is the 100-Minus-Your-Age Rule? To follow the 100-minus-your-age rule, retirees deduct their current age from 100 to achieve an optimal balance of stocks and bonds in their retirement portfolio.

What does 100 allocation mean? ›

The asset allocation normally sums up to 100%, meaning that the invested volume and the cash available add up to the fund's total net assets under management. Shorting an asset, e.g. a share, can cause allocation statistics to get negative.

What is the golden rule of asset allocation? ›

Rule of Thumb for Asset Allocation based on age of investor

You can use the thumb rule to find your equity allocation by subtracting your current age from 100. It means that as you grow older, your asset allocation needs to move from equity funds towards debt funds and fixed income investments.

What is rule 100? ›

Rule 100. No one may be convicted or sentenced, except pursuant to a fair trial affording all essential judicial guarantees.

How much money do I need to invest to make $1000 a month? ›

To make $1,000 per month on T-bills, you would need to invest $240,000 at a 5% rate. This is a solid return — and probably one of the safest investments available today. But do you have $240,000 sitting around? That's the hard part.

How much money do I need to invest to make $3,000 a month? ›

Imagine you wish to amass $3000 monthly from your investments, amounting to $36,000 annually. If you park your funds in a savings account offering a 2% annual interest rate, you'd need to inject roughly $1.8 million into the account.

What is the best asset allocation? ›

Many financial advisors recommend a 60/40 asset allocation between stocks and fixed income to take advantage of growth while keeping up your defenses.

What should a 60 year old asset allocation be? ›

At age 60–69, consider a moderate portfolio (60% stock, 35% bonds, 5% cash/cash investments); 70–79, moderately conservative (40% stock, 50% bonds, 10% cash/cash investments); 80 and above, conservative (20% stock, 50% bonds, 30% cash/cash investments).

What 3 things determine your asset allocation? ›

Choosing the allocation that's right for you
  • Your goals—both short- and long-term.
  • The number of years you have to invest.
  • Your tolerance for risk.

What is the 120 rule for asset allocation? ›

The common rule of asset allocation by age is that you should hold a percentage of stocks that is equal to 100 minus your age. So if you're 40, you should hold 60% of your portfolio in stocks. Since life expectancy is growing, changing that rule to 110 minus your age or 120 minus your age may be more appropriate.

What is the 4 rule for asset allocation? ›

It's relatively simple: You add up all of your investments, and withdraw 4% of that total during your first year of retirement. In subsequent years, you adjust the dollar amount you withdraw to account for inflation.

What is the 12 20 80 asset allocation rule? ›

The 12-20-80 rule advises individuals to set aside 12 months' worth of expenses in a liquid fund. This ensures a financial safety net to weather unexpected expenses, job loss, or other emergencies without resorting to debt or liquidating long-term investments.

How much should a 70 year old have in the stock market? ›

If you're 70, you should keep 30% of your portfolio in stocks. However, with Americans living longer and longer, many financial planners are now recommending that the rule should be closer to 110 or 120 minus your age.

What is a good asset allocation for a 65 year old? ›

In your later years, a conservative allocation of 30% cash, 20% bonds and 50% stocks might be appropriate. Diversified portfolios typically include a core of at least 50% stocks in part because equities alone offer the potential to generate long-term returns exceeding inflation.

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