How to Invest for Retirement

Contribution rate, account type, and asset mix the three levers that decide the outcome.

Retirement · 9 min read

The savings rate outweighs the picks

Over a thirty-year horizon, what you contribute matters more than which funds you choose. Aim to raise the rate with every pay rise.

Front-loading contributions early gives compounding the longest possible runway.

Choose the right account order

Capture the employer match, then fund a tax-advantaged individual account, then return to the workplace plan up to the annual limit, then use taxable investing.

Roth-style accounts favour those expecting higher tax rates later; pre-tax accounts favour high earners today.

Glide down, don't jump

Shift gradually toward bonds and cash as the date approaches so a single bad year near retirement cannot force a sale at the bottom.

Hold two to three years of planned withdrawals in short-duration assets once you begin drawing income.