Alas，there’s no such thing as a risk-free approach to rebuilding your nest egg. Super safe may feel nice，but it pays no returns over time. A few of us are in a position to live off a super-safe approach，but most of us are trying to figure out how to get back on track.
Figuring out how to deal with your retirement portfolio depends on where you are in your life. Time is perhaps the most important element in building or rebuilding a portfolio. That’s one reason we’re breaking down this nest-egg analysis into age groupings，aiming to give people some ideas that suit their current situation.
Under 40
If you are under 40，consider yourself lucky. Two things are working in your favor. First，time—if you have enough of it—can heal wounds. The stock market will eventually recover and grow. Second，by saving early—which you should definitely be doing—you get the benefit of compounding，wherein early gains are built upon.
You also want to take a long view of the investment arena. A lot of growth in coming years is expected to come from overseas，especially in emerging markets. Tim Medley of Medley & Brown Financial Advisers in Ridgeland，Miss. says，“clients should have at least 35% of their stock holdings in non-U.S. stock funds”.
In terms of risk，emerging-markets funds are more volatile than overseas funds that focus on developed economies like Japan or Western Europe. That volatility is emblematic of the risk in this cohort of funds. But as a younger investor，you want to have a bit more risk exposure，since greater risk tends to translate into greater returns over the long term.
Also，given your long-term outlook，the drop in share prices is an opportunity. Great long-term investors，such as Warren Buffett，believe that U.S. stock prices are still a relative bargain，even after the recent bounce-back in the major averages.
“For younger people，the best place to be is in well-selected stock mutual funds，”Mr. Medley says.
40 to 55
Once you enter this age range，you are starting to move from the aggressive stance of your youth to something a bit more measured. At the same time，you are entering a very important savings period since you likely are at the height of your earning power.
“First，people have reacted to the market downturn by reducing the amount of money they’re saving and investing，”says Mark Bonhard，an investment adviser with Dawson Wealth Management in Cleveland. “Second，they’ve started changing their strategy without good reason. All that does is lock in the losses and prevent a chance to recover.”
In order to boost savings during this critical time，Mr. Medley encourages clients in this age range to set up automatic savings plans that direct a portion of their paychecks into an investment account at a firm like Charles Schwab or Fidelity Investments，where it can be invested in stock mutual funds.
“People need to save money outside of their retirement account，”says Mr. Medley. “And as elementary as it may seem，an automatic plan works well for most people.”
55 and Over
As you get closer to your retirement years，you want to hold onto the capital you’ve built up over time. Trouble is，a lot of that capital has gone away in the market downdraft of the past two years.
“What’s important in this case is recognizing where you are right now and not trying to think about where you were in 2007，” says Tommy Williams of Williams Financial Advisers in Shreveport，La.
According to recent surveys，retirement security is first and foremost on the minds of people in this group.
One strategy is to consider the minimum amount of income you require on an annual basis and then see if there’s a low-cost annuity that promises to pay at least that amount for life.
“Annuities can play a very strong role，because a lot of them carry guaranteed income，”says Mr. Bonhard.“Having those guarantees makes it easier to take a little additional risk with the rest of your assets. But you do pay something to get those guarantees，and you have to watch that closely.”
Given the stock market’s still relatively low level and，for some folks，a need to rebuild a broken portfolio，some advisers recommend tweaking your portfolio mix to have a bit more stock-market exposure via low-cost stock-index mutual funds.
Portfolio choices，especially among retirees，should be made from a stance of prudence and common sense.
“Having enough is more important than having more，”says Mr. Bonhard.“If you’ve reached enough，you don’t want to be gambling for more.”
He cautions that you should purchase annuities only from companies with a strong financial position and solid credit ratings.
近几个月来，股市出现了反弹，但自2007年股市见顶以来，我们大部分储蓄仍损失惨重。
世上没有毫无风险就能重建储蓄的方法。超级安全或许感觉不错，但是随着时间的推移却没有分文的回报。我们中有小部分人可以靠超级安全的方法过活，但大部分人仍在努力寻找重回正轨的方法。
应该如何处理自己的退休投资组合，取决于你所处的人生阶段。在建立或重建投资组合时，时间或许是最重要的一个因素。这也正是本文按不同年龄段进行储蓄分析的原因之一，旨在让人们明白符合自己当前状况的一些点子。
不到40岁
如果你还不到40岁，那你算是幸运的。你有两项优势。首先，如果你有足够时间的话，时间能治疗伤痛。股市最终将复苏并实现增长。其次，通过早早的攒钱（你现在应该正在这样做），你会获得“滚雪球”式的好处，早期的收益就是建立在这个基础上的。
你还应该长远地看待投资地点。预计未来几年的很多增长将来自海外，特别是新兴市场。密西西比州Medley & Brown Financial Advisers的麦德利说，“客户应该至少有35%的股票资产投在非美国股票基金上”。
说到风险，新兴市场基金比专注于日本或西欧这类发达经济体的海外基金的波动性更大。这种波动性代表了这类基金存在的风险。不过，作为一名较年轻的投资者，你应该拥有多一些的风险敞口，因为从长远来看，更大的风险往往意味着更高的回报。
此外，鉴于你长线投资的战略，股价的下跌是一个机会。像巴菲特这样出色的长线投资者认为，即使是在最近主要股指都有所反弹之后，美国股价仍相对较低。
麦德利说，“对于较年轻的人来说，最佳的投资目标是精选的股票共同基金”。
40到55岁
一旦进入这个年龄段，你就开始从年轻时的激进立场转向更为深思熟虑的立场。与此同时，由于你很可能正处于赚钱的巅峰状态，这个年龄段也是一个非常重要的攒钱期。
克利夫兰Dawson Wealth Management投资顾问伯恩哈德说，“首先，人们通过减少储蓄额和投资额对市场的低迷作出了反应。其次，他们开始在没有充分理由的情况下改变策略。所有这些都锁定了损失，阻止了复苏的机会”。
为了在这样的关键时期提高存款额，麦德利鼓励这个年龄段的客户设置自动存款计划，直接将部分工资转到嘉信理财或富达投资等机构的投资账户中，从中可以投资股票共同基金。
麦德利说，“人们需要在他们的退休账户之外另行存钱。自动计划实际上也很简单，适合于大多数人”。
55或55岁以上
随着你的退休年龄越来越近，你希望这些年来积攒的资金能够保值。问题是，其中的许多资金在过去两年市场的下行中都已经损失了。
路易斯安那州Williams Financial Advisers的威廉姆斯说，“在这种情况下，重要的是清楚你目前的状况，不要再去想你在2007年时的情况”。
最近的调查显示，这部分人首先考虑的是退休安全。
