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Portfolio Check · by Imogen Clarke · 2026-09-23

Anyone else intentionally holding 2 years of cash before retirement?

Age 51, targeting retirement at 59 or 60. Risk tolerance medium-low. I'm considering building a larger cash wedge than most advice suggests because job security in my field feels shakier now and I want optionality.

Current split:
- 58% equities
- 22% bonds
- 20% cash

Part of me worries I'm overdoing safety too early. Part of me thinks the whole point of money is to buy breathing room.

24 sparks · 5 comments

Comments

Piotr Zieliński · 19 likes

Same here. Cash for a year, short bonds for the next year feels cleaner.

Imogen Clarke · 10 likes

That's a useful framing, thanks

Midnight Coder · 3 likes

Money buying breathing room is one of the best arguments for cash.

Mina Chowdhury · 1 likes

I'd rather see slightly more short bonds than extra cash, personally.

Midnight Runner · 0 likes

Two years at 51 is a touch early for me, but not absurd if the job situation is real.