If your “investing age” is close to your actual age, your investing style likely aligns with your expected timeline for retirement. But if there’s a wide gap between your investing age and actual age, ask yourself if this is what you want. For example, is your portfolio riskier than you’d planned, which could mean a bumpier ride than you’d like? Is it more conservative, which could fail to deliver enough growth to meet your goals?

You can also try experimenting with the tool. Enter different ages to learn if your portfolio would match what you’re trying to achieve. If you’re curious about what investing more aggressively than usual for your age would look like, try an age that’s five or 10 years younger. If preserving what you have is more important than growth, try an older age, or try adjusting your expected retirement age either way.

Diversification isn’t just about what investments you hold. It’s also about the types of accounts you have. Consider diversifying your retirement or other long-term savings into different types of accounts and a mix of investments.

Retirement account types include workplace retirement accounts like 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457 plans, and pensions. These tax-favored plans let you invest in stocks, bonds, and various funds. Because the money is drawn directly from your paycheck, you’re less likely to miss it.

Another way to save for retirement is through an individual retirement account (IRA). An IRA can be a good option if you don’t have access to a retirement plan at work or you’ve maxed out your savings into your 401(k) and want to put more away. There are two types of IRAs. Traditional IRAs provide you with a tax break upfront. Roth IRAs let you contribute after-tax dollars, but you can withdraw that money tax-free in retirement.

You can also invest in a taxable account, also known as a brokerage account. This type of account lets you buy various securities like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, isn’t tied to employment, and doesn’t offer any specific tax incentives.

In addition to putting your savings into different kinds of accounts, you should also diversify the types of assets you hold, which include stocks, bonds, and cash.

Stocks are one of the most common investments for people saving for retirement. When you own a stock, you own a part of a company and a share of its profits. When the stock price goes up, so does the value of your investment. But the opposite can also happen.

When you invest in bonds, you’re lending money to a company or part of a government (federal, state, city, county, or government entities). Bondholders get regular income through principal and interest payments. Bonds are often part of a retirement savings portfolio.

You should take into account the range of risk levels within each investment type. For example, “investment-grade” bonds—those that earn top safety ratings from firms like Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s—are less aggressive (and generally pay less) than low-rated, high-yield “junk” bonds. And huge “blue-chip” stocks that consistently raise dividend payments to investors are more conservative than, say, “small-cap” biotechs that don’t pay dividends at all but could soar if one of their products takes off.

Mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can hold dozens or thousands of investments at a time. Some just focus on stocks or bonds, others focus on specific industries, geographies, or investment themes. Still others invest in both stocks and bonds.

You can also hold some of your retirement savings in cash investments. These include bank savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit (CDs). These accounts pay interest. Though savings held in cash won’t decline in value, they can be a poor choice for long-term investing. The interest rate you earn on your cash may not be enough to keep up with the rate of inflation.

Your asset allocation—the mix of stocks, bonds, and cash—should change as you age. Generally, investors hold less of their savings in stocks as they near retirement age. Target-date funds are a way to shift your investment allocation by age. These funds invest in a mix of stocks and bonds, shifting to become more conservative (more bonds) as you get closer to your target retirement age. You can pick a target-date fund timed closest to the year you plan to retire.

To figure out your current investment mix, log in to all your accounts or review recent statements to see how much you have in domestic stocks, international stocks, bonds, and alternative investments, including real estate or real estate investment trusts (REITs). (REITs are companies that own, operate, or finance properties that generate income.)

Also consider other sources of expected retirement income or assets like Social Security, money from an inheritance, or equity you’ve built in your home. These can affect how much you need to save and how much you need to withdraw from retirement savings.

Beyond how much you invest in stocks vs. bonds, your investing age also considers your investment style and risk profile.

Aggressive investment style
Your investment style can be more aggressive or more conservative. A more aggressive strategy usually means holding more stocks and fewer bonds. That’s because stocks generally have more short-term risk but also more potential long-term gain. Bonds are considered lower risk but also provide less chance of gains. They pay regular interest, and they have set maturity dates when you can expect to get back what you paid.

Even so, bonds carry risks of their own—for example, the issuer could default on the loan, or rising interest rates could cause a bond’s price to fall. You can choose among a wide range of bonds, from those with low risk of default (but also lower payouts) to riskier, lower-rated bonds (which pay more).

An aggressive approach could mean more robust overall gains, but you may experience more ups and downs on the way there. Investing aggressively might suit you if you have a long time until retirement. Similarly, consider an aggressive approach if you expect to live a long time in retirement or need to catch up quickly on your savings. Our retirement calculator can help you determine how much you’ll need to save for retirement.

Conservative investment style
A less aggressive investor typically holds more bonds and fewer stocks. A conservative approach might lead to a smaller nest egg in retirement—but if the market crashes, you may not lose as much. Consider a more conservative approach if you’re close to retirement or you’ve already saved a lot and feel more comfortable with less risk.

Whatever you choose, it’s critical to make informed investment decisions. After all, you don’t want to find out later that your strategy was more aggressive or conservative than you needed.

When planning for retirement, it’s not just the date on the calendar that should dictate your investing strategy. You also need to consider the lifestyle and financial responsibilities you expect in retirement, along with other income sources that might help fund it. For instance, if you want to retire before your kids finish college but plan to help them pay for tuition, factor that into your strategy. Plan to downsize from a large home in an expensive area to an apartment where living costs are less? Your retirement expenses might be significantly lower than your current costs.

What’s your investing style? It all comes down to what types of investments you hold. Bonds, domestic stocks, international stocks, and alternatives—from real estate funds to cryptocurrency—differ in their typical risk levels.