Research

Optimal Asset Allocation, Asset Location and Drawdown in Retirement

Assessing the impact of tax deferral and municipal bonds on retirement income generation.

Executive Summary

  • This paper investigates how differences in tax treatment across asset classes and investment accounts affect retiree behavior, including desired asset allocations and the location and timing of withdrawals.
  • We find that the distribution of wealth across accounts does not materially affect the aggregate asset allocation.
  • However, asset location – the allocation within each account – is highly dependent on the tax treatment of each account.
  • Despite lower tax rates on equities, retirees should consider holding more stocks in tax-deferred accounts to maximize their tax benefits.
  • Retirees may be able to optimize after-tax income with allocations to muni bonds in their taxable accounts.

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The Author

Sean Klein

Head of Client Business Strategy – Client Solutions and Analytics

Steve Sapra

Senior Advisor

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CMR2019-1030-422039