Retiree's Nest Egg in Too Few Baskets

Can a mutual fund portfolio that provided a 15% return in 1999 sustain Ron Ayers through his retirement?

Ayers, 60, retired last April from his job as a buyer of maintenance, repair and operating supplies at a Kraft Foods plant in Garland, Texas.

He walked away with a healthy nest egg worth about $410,000. However, prospects for future work are uncertain. So he wants to be sure his retirement money -- about half of which came from a company pension plan and the other half from a 401(k) plan -- will provide an income of $2,500 to $3,000 a month. ...