Thank you OmegaMale for the vote of confidence !!??
We are 2 x 78 year olds in the same position as the OP
Only difference -3% withdrawal rate -no doubt could take more but 3% seems to be enough
Portfolio remains unchanged-and probably will do to the finish
xxd09

2 x mid-late 70s and our pfs are on page five of the thread on portfolio review 2024.

We are going for at least three percent income, and capital value increasing at least in line with inflation, over a three year cycle.

I don't know what figure to place on your investment account, but if keeping it simple I would suggest at the moment:

50% higher yielding ETFs / ITs (going for yield rather than growth carries an element of automatic drawdown) (interest rates more likely to decline than increase, but you can't be sure)
40 % higher yielding bonds / fixed interest / index linked, in a roughly equal mix (as above)
10% out and out growth

Good compromises include JGGI, VHYL and for (bumpy) growth, the tech sector via ATT

Gold is at record highs atm which is probably not the best time to buy. On your watchlist for a drop.

The markets are high and the outlook for 2025 is very uncertain with Trump and wars and high government indebtedness. A time to play a little safer.

Try the Vanguard questionnaire to help clear the fog

https://investor.vanguar...nnaire#modal-start-quiz

For any fixed interest allocation (bonds and cash), I'd recommend buying individual Gilts and Corporate Bonds with a duration to match each year or two of your 15 year horizon plus some cash or money-market funds.

Whatever assets you choose, you MUST KNOW ITS PURPOSE & ROLE within your portfolio.
Know WHAT you hold and WHY you hold it.
Start with existing holdings.

Out of interest, if the market crashed 30-50% on Monday and stayed down, where would that leave your thought process?

Would give strong consideration to annuity.

Thank you all for the useful observations and suggestions. Truly appreciated.

I have to be honest with myself when it comes to risk appetite, it's true. A fall across the whole portfolio of say 30% would be a blow, despite out cash reserves.

I'd already been considering an annuity, at least for a large element, if not all, of the SIPP, for all the usual reasons. I'll get some specific quotations from alternative providers. It would certainly help me to stop scratching that itch to switch. For the remainder and for the ISAs maybe reduce the number of holdings and go for less risk, too, but still aim for some growth and something towards income.

I'll look again at all the comments and give careful thought to how to move ahead.

Many thanks, once more.

I would go about this a different way with looking at the income wanted needed and creating a barbell of growth and income. That is effectively what I have done

6% reits
10% renewables/Infra
16% Debt Credit Bonds etc

This nearly delivers all the income I will need and the REITS and Renewables give a degree of indexation

The rest should be in in Globals mostly trackers, some PE and some geographic ITs
No reason why it couldn't just be a range of global ETFs to simplify it further

The key is having the income coming in so you dont need to be a forced seller of anything

I am setting up for retirement at the moment. I want to get a 3-4 year run to see how the plan works but I have looked back a few years and it seems to have worked in the past.

What I am trying to do is run in such a way thatyear 1 and Year 2 income from from cash and ISAs so the first income I draw from the SIPP is for year 3, but as it is constructed to churn a whole years income.....In Yr 3 I should have 2 years of income in the SIPP

Nothing is madly racy or odd so if it doesn't quite work, I have time to tune.

Just as an aside. my dad had a two year life expectancy when he was 45 he died in january this year at 87 - given his medical state at 45 it just shows you can end up living much longer than you expect :) last couple of years weren't good for him but, he was still working by choice at 84.


The annuity provider he had probably had a party when he died. his list of ailments and the expected early death got him a great deal..........nigh 40 years later they were still paying him :)