John and Mary Smith are a pair of their early 50s looking towards retirement in the next decade. John is an engineer who has been with his firm for over 25 years, whereas Mary works part-time as a college teacher. Collectively, they have saved a modest sum in traditional IRAs, stocks, and bonds however are more and more nervous about market volatility and inflation eroding their savings. Their objective is to construct a diversified and stable retirement portfolio that can withstand economic downturns and provide a dependable supply of income throughout retirement.