My 80 year old aunt and uncle asked me to conference into a strategy meeting with their FA today.  I came prepared with a bond ladder that I built using the ishares ladder tool and proposed that a large portion of their investable assets be allocated (the expense ratio is .07%! and you can buy the funds and hold to the maturity denoted by the ticker...a first as far as I know). The dude seemed less than interested so I asked "what would be your typical stock bond allocation for retirees in their 80's?".  He said "usually around 65/35"....so more risky than 60/40.  I said, "what if there's a downturn?" He replied, "that already happened in 2022."  I almost fell out of my chair.