Maybe it's just me, but I'm uncomfortable with being too overweight long term in one asset class. One reason I'm comfortable with being 75% in equities (later when I jump back into them) is because they're spread out in 35 or 36 asset classes. The other reason is that they'll be in mutual funds (each fund giving me a little diversification across many companies even if they're in one asset class). The idea being that if we have a big downturn that lasts 5 years I can still withdraw 4% annually and have 6 years worth in the 25% of the portfolio in "safe" funds. And if I'm wrong in either the downturn lasts longer or that some of my "safe" funds went down with stocks, that's okay because my equities are so diversified that some of them will be high anyway even if most of them are down. (i.e. my tech funds and health science funds were high even in March 2020, the few funds I which I'd stayed in when I had gotten out of all equity funds in late 2019).
During the growth era (while I'm working) my strategy was always to put my monthly investment into whatever mutual fund had the lowest balance at the time (buying low). The opposite when I retire (selling high by withdrawing from whatever fund is highest).
Of course, that's not counting the phases like I'm in now where I'm doing a little active investing by having moved money out of all of my equity funds recently (while they were all high) and waiting on a bigly correction (while still working and not withdrawing from my portfolio).
But if I had 40% or more in one equity asset class then I might need more than 25% in the "safe" bonds and money market funds.
My stocks are very diversified and my rentals generate about 9% cash returns so don’t even really care what the value of them is at any time. I plan on keeping 2 years of cash expenses on hand when I retire as well
My stocks are very diversified and my rentals generate about 9% cash returns so don’t even really care what the value of them is at any time. I plan on keeping 2 years of cash expenses on hand when I retire as well