Traditional Retirement Portfolios Aren’t Enough Anymore. For many Baby Boomers, retirement hasn’t turned out quite the way they expected. 

This generation, born between 1946 and 1964, grew up with clear financial advice: work hard, save consistently, and invest in safe, reliable options like certificates of deposit (CDs), mutual funds, and blue-chip stocks. CDs are savings products that offer fixed interest rates over a set period of time, typically with very low risk. Mutual funds pool money from many investors to buy a diversified mix of stocks, bonds, or other assets. Blue-chip stocks are shares of large, established companies known for their stability and steady dividends. For years, that approach seemed to work well. But times have changed, and now many Boomers are discovering that their retirement savings aren’t going as far as they hoped.

There are several reasons why. People are living longer than ever, meaning retirement may last 25 to 30 years or more. At the same time, prices are rising quickly due to inflation, and the stock market has become increasingly unpredictable. The traditional retirement playbook simply isn’t built to handle this new reality.

That’s why more financial experts are encouraging retirees to explore new investment tools that offer both protection and the chance for growth, including options that most people have never even heard of.

Michael A. Scarpati, CFP® and CEO of RetireUS, is working to change how people access quality financial guidance. He leads a fintech platform designed to make it incredibly easy and affordable to work with independent fiduciary professionals. The goal is simple: give everyone, regardless of income or investing experience, the ability to build a clear and confident path to financial freedom. With RetireUS, individuals can connect with trusted experts who prioritize their long-term success rather than product sales or commissions.

In the past, financial safety meant sticking with low-risk investments. Things like CDs, bonds, and conservative mutual funds gave people some interest and helped preserve their savings. But today, these options often don’t keep up with inflation, meaning retirees can actually lose buying power over time even if their account balances stay the same.

Stocks can offer more growth, but they also come with more risk. A single market downturn can take a big bite out of a retirement portfolio, especially for someone no longer working and unable to wait years for recovery.

This is where the struggle begins. Many retirees are stuck between two difficult choices: protect their money but earn very little, or try to grow it but take on more risk than they’re comfortable with.

So, what’s missing from most retirement plans?

There are newer investment tools that can help solve this problem, but many retirees aren’t being told about them. These tools are often used by fiduciary financial advisors: professionals who are legally required to act in their clients’ best interests. However, they’re rarely offered by big-name brokerages or traditional commission-based advisors.

Here are three options that more people should know about:

  • Structured Notes: These are investments issued by banks that can be designed to protect part of your money while offering growth linked to the stock market. They’re customizable, which means you can choose how much risk you’re willing to take. 
  • Buffered ETFs: These are exchange-traded funds (a type of investment fund) that offer a built-in “buffer” to help protect you from losses if the market drops. They still allow for some growth, but with a safety net in place. 
  • Protected Growth Indexes: These are often found in annuities or insurance-based products. They’re designed to give you some growth potential, while also putting limits on how much you can lose in a bad market year. 

These tools aren’t about trying to beat the market. They’re about creating a better balance by growing your savings while reducing the risk of major losses.

Most people think their financial advisor is giving them all the best options. But many advisors work under a different set of rules. If they’re not fiduciaries, they’re often allowed to recommend investments that are just “good enough,” even if better choices are available elsewhere. Many traditional firms don’t offer structured notes or buffered ETFs because they don’t generate high commissions or require more training to explain properly.

That’s why working with a fiduciary advisor can make such a big difference. These advisors tend to offer a wider range of tools and strategies that are more in line with the needs of modern retirees.

Planning for retirement today means being realistic about the risks—and knowing that the old strategies might not be enough anymore. Retirees need to protect their savings, but they also need those savings to grow over time. That’s not an easy balance to find, but it is possible.

The Baby Boomer generation worked hard, saved faithfully, and followed the rules they were taught. But the world has changed, and retirement planning has to change with it. Traditional investments still have their place, but they should be paired with modern tools designed to handle today’s challenges.

With the right approach and the right guidance, it’s possible to build a retirement plan that offers both peace of mind and the potential for long-term success.