• Enjoy a stree-free retirement through careful investment planing.couple in love image by Kurhan from Fotolia.com
  
  Diversity in asset allocation is critical at any stage of life. However, the appropriate asset allocation can change once an investor achieves retirement. Risk analysis and tax structure are among the most essential considerations after retirement, although there are many others. Of all of these, buying consultation time with a financial planner who specializes in retirement distribution analysis is probably the most important investment anyone approaching retirement can make. Just make sure that the professional planner is paid only for giving advice, not from commissions or transaction fees on the financial products he recommends.
  
  

Stocks

• Mitigate the risk of investing in the stock market with mutual funds.stock market analysis screenshot image by .shock from Fotolia.com
  
  Investing in the stock market is high risk, but certain strategies can allow for a greater return than low-risk investment options while involving reduced risk. Mutual funds provide diversified risk by allowing the investor to buy a piece of multiple investments. These types of funds can consist of as few as 40 or as many as 1,500 underlying companies, thereby spreading the risk.
  
  

United States Treasury Bonds

• When interest rates are high, Treasury bonds can be a good investment in retirement.Business Focus image by weim from Fotolia.com
  
  When interest rates are high, investment in fixed-rate Treasury bonds can prove to be a wise option. Bonds can either have a short-term or long-term maturity. Treasury bonds are as low risk as it gets because conventional wisdom is that it is highly improbable that the Unites States will ever default on its bonds. However, buying Treasury bonds when interest rates are low locks the investor to a low rate of return when higher yield vehicles are available. An advantage is that interest earned can be withdrawn monthly or quarterly and thereby provide needed supplemental income to meet monthly expenses. However, interest from Treasury bonds is taxable as income, often at a higher rate than regular income.
  
  

Certificates of Deposit

• A variety of CDs are available at banking institutions.bank image by Pefkos from Fotolia.com
  
  Certificates of deposits (CDs) are an extremely safe investment, but the interest rate on CDs tends to be much lower than interest on other investment vehicles with higher risk factors. This means that the interest earned might not keep up with inflation. CDs can have maturity dates as short as 30 days, or can be as long term as many years. The longer the term, the higher the rate of interest earned. Higher interest rates might be available through smaller, lesser-known institutions.
  
  

Money Market Accounts

• Money market accounts provide high liquidity.check book image by Rob Hill from Fotolia.com
  
  These are interest-earning accounts that allow the investor to have daily access to his funds while earning slightly higher interest than a conventional savings account. Minimum balances are required. Interest earned is taxable as interest income.
  
  

Annuities

• An annuity is a contract with an insurance company that can help round out an investment strategy.contract 20309 image by pablo from Fotolia.com
  
  A fixed immediate annuity is a product purchased from an insurance company. The amount contributed is tax deferred. In exchange for the funds contributed by the investor, the insurance company guarantees a certain amount of income immediately payable to the investor on a monthly basis. Regardless of market performance, the monthly payouts remain the same. Deferred annuities, those that defer payouts while building interest, can be "laddered" into an investment strategy with a fixed immediate annuity to insure a steady income stream.