I am 46 years old living in Phoenix with

Answer

I'll get the allocation framework and confirm your residence/currency context first.

For $120,000 with a 10–15 year horizon and the6-month cushion already covered, the matching band from the framework is **5 years or longer**. Two shapes, both in the same horizon row — they differ on risk tolerance and behavioral capacity, not on time.

## The two shapes

| Shape | Cash | Fixed Income | Equities |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **稳一点 (Conservative)** | 10–25% | 25–45% | 35–60% |
| **进一点 (Progressive)** | 5–15% | 15–35% | 50–80% |

These are bands, not points. Pick one number from each band; the three must add to 100%.

## What the midpoints look like in dollarsArithmetic only — the result of choosing a midpoint, not a recommendation. ounding went cleanly to whole dollars at midpoint for both.

**稳一点 — e.g. 17.5% / 35% / 47.5%**
| ow | % | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cash | 17.5% | $21,000 |
| Fixed Income | 35% | $42,000 |
| Equities | 47.5% | $57,000 |
| **Total** | **100%** | **$120,000** |

**进一点 — e.g. 10% / 25% / 65%**
| ow | % | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cash | 10% | $12,000 |
| Fixed Income | 25% | $30,000 |
| Equities | 65% | $78,000 |
| **Total** | **100%** | **$120,000** |

## When each shape fits

The 10–15 year horizon fits both. What pushes you toward one or the other:

**稳一点 is closer to your situation if…**
- A meaningful slice of this $120k has a real claim on it within a few years (a home down payment, a kid's college bill, a possible job change window), even though the rest is long-term.
- Looking at a 30–40% drop would make you want to sell before it recovers.
- Your income is irregular (commission, 1099, contract), or you have dependents whose stability depends on this principal being there.
- You haven't watched your own portfolio fall by half before — i.e. you're guessing how you'd react.

**进一点 is closer to your situation if…**
- This $120k is genuinely long-term; the 6-month cushion is in a separate account.
- Your income is stable (W-2 with steady paycheck), and you've already covered retirement contributions, taxes, insurance.
- You can hold through a 40–50% drawdown without selling, or have lived through one before.
- The biggest near-term claim on your life is the same as the longest one — you don't expect a sudden large expense from this pool.

## What to do before picking products

The account layer comes first — taxable brokerage, 401(k), traditional IA, oth IA, HSA — each has its own contribution limits, tax treatment, and withdrawal rules. Confirm those on the official page (IS for IA rules; your plan administrator's Summary Plan Description for 401(k)) before deciding which dollars go where. Once that's settled, broad-market / total-market index categories are the natural fit for the equities row; specific ticker codes are a different decision and I don't name them here.

## Limits

- Bands, not targets. The midpoint is just an example arithmetic result, not a prescription.
- I don't recommend a specific account type, product, ticker, or platform.
- I don't set rebalance frequency, entry timing (lump-sum vs. DCA), or any "when to act" decision.
- Any quoted yield on an app or product page you've seen is marketing copy, not a verified benchmark — don't compare shapes against it until you've read the official product page yourself.

Source for the band framework: https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/getting-started/asset-allocation (accessed 2026-09-06).