Welcome to the forum. No, you are not too late!
Without access to a 401k or IRA, your only choice is saving in a taxable account(s) (bank, brokerage). Right now your portfolio is invested 5% equities and 95% fixed income (bonds/cash). You have even less equity as a % of your total savings if you take into account the emergency fund.
If you want your portfolio to keep up with inflation and grow for retirement, you need more equity imo which carries more risk. You are risk adverse and have a low equity %. Normally I would recommend lump sum investing (as this often beats direct cost averaging) but I don’t see you comfortably going from 5% equity to 60-70% equity in one trade. So consider investing a fixed amount at the beginning of each month with the intention of reaching your desired asset allocation within one year.
There is a great BH wiki to read up on DIY investing. Start here:
https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Getting_started
Without access to a 401k or IRA, your only choice is saving in a taxable account(s) (bank, brokerage). Right now your portfolio is invested 5% equities and 95% fixed income (bonds/cash). You have even less equity as a % of your total savings if you take into account the emergency fund.
If you want your portfolio to keep up with inflation and grow for retirement, you need more equity imo which carries more risk. You are risk adverse and have a low equity %. Normally I would recommend lump sum investing (as this often beats direct cost averaging) but I don’t see you comfortably going from 5% equity to 60-70% equity in one trade. So consider investing a fixed amount at the beginning of each month with the intention of reaching your desired asset allocation within one year.
There is a great BH wiki to read up on DIY investing. Start here:
https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Getting_started
Statistics: Posted by HomeStretch — Mon Feb 02, 2026 1:23 pm — Replies 2 — Views 115