Overspending and impatient selling are two moves that can prematurely drain retirees' portfolio income, warns financial columnist Gail MarksJarvis, who offers strategies to avoid these pitfalls.
Inflows to fixed-income products continued in November on account of market-volatility worries, while equity outflows this year could surpass 2008 levels.
Morningstar's director of personal finance recommends locking down short-term income needs in cash-like investments, stress-testing your bond holdings, and staying poised to buy on the dips.
Judging from Wednesday's 312-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the equity market could be replacing the bond market as the new "vigilantes" who try to drive some sense into Washington, says Schwab's chief investment strategist Liz Ann Sonders.