Skip to main content
Retirement Planning

Bucket Strategy

Dividing retirement savings into short-, medium- and long-term buckets to manage risk.

The bucket strategy splits a retirement portfolio into segments by time horizon — for example cash for near-term spending, bonds for the medium term and stocks for the long term. Holding safe assets for near-term needs helps a retiree avoid selling stocks during downturns.

Examples

  • Keeping two years of expenses in cash lets you ride out a market slump without selling.

Related terms

← Back to the glossary

Start learning today

Ready to take charge of your financial future?

Free, jargon-free education on financial independence and early retirement — no sign-up, no sales pitch. Just clear ideas you can actually use.