Best strategy to bridge lengthy gap to 59.5

[J Money]

I know that there is a lot on here about asset allocation but I didn't see a thread that already addressed this specific strategy. I'm hoping to hit ER around 36 (about 10yrs) which would leave me 20 years at that point from being able to tap into tax-efficient accounts (currently have IRAs, hope to have 401k soon). My plan currently is to put surplus savings into a taxable account to cover those 20 years, but I don't want to hit a down year when it comes time to withdraw. What's the best allocation for a short-term investment like that? I know that you can do stuff like conversions to access money sooner, is there a better approach to my situation?

[seattlecyclone]

Have you read http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/how-to-withdraw-funds-from-your-ira-and-401k-without-penalty-before-age-59-5/ and https://seattlecyclone.com/accessing-your-retirement-accounts-early-yes-you-can/ yet?

[J Money]

Thank you Seattlecyclone, those are helpful. My issue is that until I have access to a 401k I can very easily max out the IRA. So I'm trying to figure out how to best allocate the extra money I am saving.

[seattlecyclone]

Once you're maxing out your retirement accounts, taxable accounts are the place to invest next. As to being afraid of hitting a down year when it comes time to withdraw, that's one reason many people decide to invest some of their money in bonds. Sell bonds when the stock market is down, sell stocks when the stock market is up.