<prompt> Human: Hello rpersonalfinance,My wife and I entered the work force in earnest a few years ago. We opened all the various retirement accounts recommended in this subreddit and have been diligently contributing since. Weve been fortunate enough that our retirement accounts have performed quite well over the past 3-4 years since we opened them 14 rate of return according to Vanguard.I know opinions will differ about this, but were increasingly of the mindset that the economy is due for a not insignificant correction in the next year or two. Sample 1 Sample 2 Given what we saw during the 2008-2009 recession, we want to take some precautions. Wed like to gradually shift some of our retirement funds into less risky assets over the next 1-2 years in order to lock in some of our gains and offset the impact of the correction, if any.How would pf recommend we approach this task? A few points to note: I know that the principle is time in the market, rather than timing the market. I recognize that there is a degree of timing the market here, but thats not really the ultimate goal. Just looking to cushion the blow of a correction, even if that means missing out on some short-term gains. Were not trying to time the market in any particular way. In light of the point above: were both in our early 30s such that we could theoretically just weather a correction and wait it out, but the goal is to protect some of the gains weve made during the last few years of bullish markets. In theory, we could also shift back in and buy low following a correction. Our 401k and IRA investments are currently around 95 stocksequities and 5 bonds. These investments are spread across a number of different index funds e.g., Target Retirement, Mid-Cap, European Stock Market, etc. We also have a small-ish account of pure stock holdings. Both given the points above and the desire to avoid taxes, Im inclined to let the stocks ride, even though they are clearly the most at risk in the event of a correction. Is this completely unreasonable and ridiculous?Weve thought about shifting 5-8 of our equity index funds into bond funds every six months or so and reevaluating as time progresses. The rpf hivemind has been hugely valuable in the past and we welcome any and all input or suggestions. Thank you in advance!  <response>: If youd like to move to a safer allocation, switch some stocks to bonds, such as a bond index fund. I recognize that there is a degree of timing the market here, but thats not really the ultimate goal. Just looking to cushion the blow of a correction, even if that means missing out on some short-term gains.Well, people in this sub were saying the same thing 3 to 4 years ago and would have missed out on some really significant short term gains. Especially since youre a long way from retirement, you should not be trying to time the market. 