Investing - Theory, News & General • Re: Why complicate my portfolio?

This is closer to the portfolio format we are used to:
Taxable
VMFXX Vanguard Federal Money Market fund
VTINX Vanguard Target Retirement Income Fund
VSMGX Vanguard LifeStrategy Mod Growth 60/40
VASGX Vanguard LifeStrategy Growth 80/20
VTSAX Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund
VTIAX Vanguard Total International Stock index
AOR iShares Core 60/40 balanced ETF

I spoke with an advisor at Vanguard and he suggested a portfolio using:
TIRA
VTSAX Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund
VTIAX Vanguard Total International Stock index
VXUS Vanguard Total International Stock (ETF)

TIRA
VTI Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock market Index Fund (ETF).

TIRA
VBTLX Vanguard Total Bond Market
BND Vanguard Total Bond Market (ETF)

TIRA
BIV Vanguard Intermediate Term Bond Fund (ETF)

TIRA
BLV Vanguard Long-Term Bond Fund (ETF)

Inherited TIRA
BNDX Vanguard Total International Bond Fund (ETF)

My question is this: If I am planning to use funds that are comprised of underlying index funds, why would I want so many individual bond and stock funds as the advisor is suggesting.

I would guess that since you are taking RMDs (or will soon), you will have to withdraw from each of the 6 IRAs and there will be no question as to which fund the RMDs come from, except from the TIRAs that have more than one holding. But, that has nothing to do with why they're all invested differently.

Are any of the IRAs small enough that you could convert the balance in one or two years? The Roth IRA won't have RMDs, so you could just let that grow but make sure it holds a stock fund to maximize future tax-free growth.

I would also merge the IRAs so you have 2 fewer accounts.

I'd also like to know why the advisor suggested what he did!

Statistics: Posted by celia — Sat Sep 12, 2026 1:35 pm