Find Out How Much Risk Your Portfolio Is Actually Carrying

Your retirement is too close to guess. A portfolio risk analysis gives you a clear, objective picture of your current investment exposure — measured against your timeline, your income needs, and your retirement goals, not a generic benchmark.

Risk Isn't a Feeling. It's a Number. Let's Find Yours.

Most people heading into retirement have a sense that their portfolio might be too aggressive — or not aggressive enough. But a sense isn't a plan. Our free portfolio risk analysis translates your actual holdings into concrete data: how much volatility you're exposed to, how your portfolio would perform under adverse market conditions, and whether your current allocation can sustain the income you'll need in retirement.

What a Portfolio Risk Analysis Actually Covers

This isn't a surface-level review or a sales conversation dressed up as advice. Our retirement portfolio review is a structured, five-part analysis that produces real outputs — so you leave with clarity, not a brochure.

Risk Tolerance Assessment

We start by measuring the gap between the risk you think you're taking and the risk your portfolio is actually carrying. Those two numbers are often further apart than clients expect — and that gap is where retirement plans break down.

Sequence-of-Returns Stress Testing

A portfolio stress test models how your investments would perform if a significant market downturn occurred in the early years of your retirement. Early losses hit harder than late losses because you're drawing income while the portfolio is declining. We run your numbers against multiple market scenarios so you can see how your plan holds up when conditions aren't cooperative.

Diversification Review

Diversification isn't just owning different funds — it's owning assets that behave differently under the same market conditions. We review whether your current holdings are genuinely diversified or simply spread across investments that tend to move together.

Fee Audit

Investment fees compound over time the same way returns do — in reverse. We identify what you're currently paying across your accounts, including embedded fund expenses that don't always appear on statements, and flag where those costs may be eroding your long-term income.

Income Sustainability Modeling

We model whether your portfolio can support your expected withdrawal rate across a range of market environments and time horizons. This is the core question of retirement readiness: not just what your portfolio is worth today, but whether it can last as long as you need it to.

What We Typically Find When a Portfolio Comes In

Most portfolios we review haven't been formally analyzed against a retirement income lens — they've been managed for growth. That's not a criticism of prior advisors. It's simply a different objective. Here's what the investment risk assessment commonly surfaces:

 

  • Allocation that made sense at 45 but carries more equity risk than is appropriate for someone five years from retirement
  • Funds that appear diversified by name but are heavily concentrated in the same sectors
  • Fee structures that were never explained clearly and are quietly reducing long-term returns
  • No stress-testing against a down-market scenario in the first years of retirement
  • Social Security and withdrawal timing decisions that haven't been coordinated with the investment strategy

 

None of these findings require a dramatic overhaul. Most of the time, targeted adjustments are enough. The point of the analysis is to find out what's there — before retirement makes the stakes higher.

An Independent Second Opinion Costs Nothing

You don't have to change advisors to get a fresh look at your portfolio. Our analysis is completely independent — we review your current holdings as they are, with no obligation to move assets, open accounts, or make any changes at all. For many clients, the analysis simply confirms that their portfolio is well-positioned. For others, it identifies specific areas worth addressing before they stop working.

 

Either outcome is useful. Uncertainty isn't.

Who This Analysis Is For

Pre-Retirees Within 10 Years of Retirement

If you're planning to retire within the next decade, this is the window where portfolio risk decisions carry the most weight. A free portfolio analysis now gives you time to act on what you find.

Recent Retirees Managing Drawdown

If you've already retired and are drawing income from your portfolio, a retirement portfolio checkup can confirm whether your withdrawal rate is sustainable under current and projected market conditions.

Anyone Who Hasn't Had a Formal Portfolio Review Recently

If you can't remember the last time someone looked carefully at your full portfolio — not just account balances, but actual risk exposure — that's reason enough to request an analysis.

Investors Concerned About Market Volatility

Market conditions change. If recent volatility has raised questions about whether your portfolio is positioned correctly for where you are in life, an investment risk assessment gives you data to work from instead of anxiety.

Clients with Multiple Accounts Across Different Institutions

Portfolios spread across a 401(k), an IRA, a brokerage account, and a spouse's retirement accounts are rarely reviewed as a single unified picture. We analyze the full picture — because that's the only way to understand what you actually own.

Common Questions About Portfolio Risk Analysis

  • How do I know if my investments are too risky for retirement?

    The most reliable way is a formal portfolio stress test that measures your current allocation against your retirement timeline and income needs. Risk tolerance assessments based on questionnaires alone don't account for sequence-of-returns risk — the specific danger that a market downturn early in retirement can permanently impair your portfolio's ability to sustain income. Our analysis gives you a concrete answer based on your actual holdings.

  • What does a portfolio risk analysis include?

    Our analysis covers five areas: a risk tolerance assessment comparing your perceived and actual exposure, a sequence-of-returns stress test across multiple market scenarios, a diversification review, a fee audit, and income sustainability modeling based on your expected withdrawal needs. You receive specific findings, not general observations.

  • Is a free portfolio review worth it?

    If you're within ten years of retirement or already retired, the answer is almost always yes. The cost of discovering a misaligned portfolio after you've stopped working is far greater than the hour it takes to find out now. The review is free, there's no obligation to change anything, and the findings belong to you regardless of what you decide to do next.

  • Do I have to move my accounts to Xexis to get the analysis?

    No. The portfolio risk analysis is an independent review of your current holdings. You are not required to transfer accounts, change advisors, or make any changes at all. Many people request the analysis simply to get a second opinion, and that's a completely valid reason to schedule one.

  • How do I analyze my portfolio risk before retirement if I have accounts at multiple institutions?

    Bring a summary of all your accounts — retirement accounts, brokerage accounts, and any pension or annuity information you have. We review your full financial picture as a single portfolio, which is the only way to accurately assess total risk exposure, diversification, and income sustainability across everything you own.

The Analysis Takes an Hour. The Clarity Lasts.

With more than 33 years focused exclusively on retirement planning, we've reviewed a lot of portfolios — and the most consistent finding is that people feel better after they know. Not because every portfolio is perfect, but because uncertainty is harder to carry than a concrete problem with a clear path forward. Request your free, no-obligation portfolio risk analysis and find out exactly where you stand.