Most retirement income portfolios fail in one of two ways: too conservative (not enough income) or too aggressive (too much NAV risk). The Risk Spectrum Constructor gives you exact tier allocations for the income you need at the volatility you can sustain.
Every advisor says 'it depends.' The Risk Spectrum gives you a concrete, tier-based answer based on your income target and drawdown tolerance.
Tier 5 without a position cap will erode a retirement portfolio. The model portfolios show exactly how much exposure is appropriate at each risk level.
A purely Tier 1-2 portfolio may not generate enough income. The Tier 3 additions in the Conservative Model add 1.8% yield without meaningful NAV risk.
Chapters marked Most Relevant are specifically applicable to your situation.
Why systematic tier-based construction outperforms intuition-based picking.
SGOV, BIL, T-bills — the foundation every income portfolio needs.
SCHD, VIG, DGRO — dividend growth with capital stability.
REITs, BDCs, MLPs — higher yield with understood structural risks.
JEPI, JEPQ, SPYI — covered call income at managed volatility.
Single-stock synthetics — position sizing rules and total return reality.
Conservative (Tier 1-2), Balanced (Tier 1-3), Income (Tier 2-4), Aggressive (Tier 2-5), FIRE Bridge (Tier 3-4).
When to rebalance, what triggers a tier reassignment, quarterly review cadence.
6.8% yield, 0.3% NAV change
The Tier 1-3 Conservative Model Portfolio averaged 6.8% yield with 0.3% annual NAV change over 3 years — income without principal erosion.
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