Asset Allocation Tool
A starting point for stocks vs. bonds based on your age and risk tolerance.
Investor Profile
Recommended Mix
Growth Engines
Safety Net
Clinical Context & Calculation Details
How to Use This Calculator
Input your current age and select a risk tolerance (Conservative, Moderate, or Aggressive).
The tool provides a starting baseline for how much of your portfolio should be in growth engines (stocks/real estate) versus safety nets (bonds/cash).
Why Doctors Need This
Asset allocation is the primary driver of your portfolio's returns and volatility. Too conservative, and inflation eats your wealth. Too aggressive, and you might panic-sell during a bear market.
Physicians often start investing late due to medical school and residency, meaning they often need an equity-heavy portfolio early in their attending years to catch up.
The Math Behind It
Rule of 110: Baseline Equity % = 110 - Age.
We modify this baseline by adding +10% for Aggressive profiles and subtracting -10% for Conservative profiles, clamped between 20% and 100%.
Pearls & Pitfalls
- Pearl: Don't try to time the market. Pick an allocation that lets you sleep at night and stick to it through market cycles.
- Pearl: Rebalance your portfolio 1-2 times a year to bring it back to your target allocation. This forces you to "buy low and sell high."
- Pitfall: Assuming taking maximum risk always yields maximum returns. If your risk tolerance is low, a highly volatile portfolio might cause you to sell at the worst possible time.
Related Clinical Finance Tools
Editorial Credibility
J.R. Dunigan, DO | Family Medicine Physician & Founder
I founded MedMoneyGuide to provide physicians with unbiased, specialty-specific financial guidance. My goal is to add transparency and credibility to your financial journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good asset allocation for a young attending?
Many young physicians opt for aggressive allocations, such as 80-90% equities and 10-20% bonds, leveraging their high human capital and long investment horizon.
Should doctors invest differently than other high earners?
Physicians start their careers later and often with more debt. This means their asset allocation needs to rapidly compound, often necessitating higher early-career equity exposure.