In this edition of The Motley Fool's "Ask a Fool" series, Motley Fool One analyst Jason Moser takes a question from a reader who asks: "Common investment advice is to have 25% to 50% in bonds. Is this still applicable given the current rates, or are there other investments that should/could be held in lieu of this?" The first place Jason goes to consider allocation questions, particularly when bonds are concerned, is The Motley Fool's own Robert Brokamp and his Rule Your Retirement service. "Bro" uses three basic levels to help investors in regard to allocations: investors who are more than 10 years away from retirement, within 10 years of retirement, and in retirement. The bottom line is that the the closer one is to retirement, the more one should need to focus on wealth protection. Even while bonds aren't returning anything, you also have to consider your overall position, and overexposure to any asset can be very risky.