Drip feed invest advice please

edblue

I have done my own ISA and SiPP investing for many years and have a balanced portfolio I am happy with for my circumstances coming up to retirement. But I have a nice problem I have not had before. I have received a lump sum of cash which is worth about 20% of the total value of my investments. This cash is likely to be the last big top-up to my portfolio before the draw down stage in a couple of years. So I think it may be prudent to drip feed this final lump sum into my investments rather than put it all in straight away.

My question is, for a lump sum worth about 20% of the existing portfolio, over what period would you drip feed the investment, 6 months, 12 months, 2 years?

Vortigern

http://monevator.com/lump-sum-investing-versus-drip-feeding/

bigfreddiel

Just whack it all in. You should know by now it's time in the market not timing the market that counts.

fj

dunstonh

Statistically, single lump sum provides the highest return on more occasions than pound cost averaging would. Mainly as growth periods outnumber negatives. It is impossible for you to know in advance whether the period you would phase over is going to be better with one method or the other.

This cash is likely to be the last big top-up to my portfolio before the draw down stage in a couple of years.

If you are using drawdown rather than full fund withdrawal, then this money is likely to be there for around another 25-30 years. So, the return in a short term period now is going to be insignificant over the long term.