A bond ladder is a portfolio of bonds with staggered maturity dates. Each year, one bond matures — providing predictable cash flow and automatic reinvestment at current rates.
A bond ladder is a portfolio of bonds with staggered maturity dates. Each year, one bond matures — providing predictable cash flow and automatic reinvestment at current rates.
Bond ladders solve a specific retirement problem: matching cash flows to expenses without taking interest-rate risk. A 10-year ladder covering years 1–10 of retirement spending means you never have to sell bonds at bad prices.
For most retirees, a simple Treasury ladder covering 5–10 years of essential expenses — paired with a globally diversified equity portfolio — is mathematically equivalent to complex bucket strategies and much easier to manage.
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