If you are a retired Baby Boomer, or a Baby Boomer who has done any retirement planning at all, you are almost certainly ...

For three decades, the classic 4% rule has been the shorthand answer to a brutally complex question: how much you can safely spend from your portfolio each year without running out of money. That ...

The 4% Rule is arguably the most famous strategy for making sure your retirement income lasts long. Developed in the 1990s, it offers an evidence-based answer to most retirees’ question: “How much can ...

The number depends on a handful of factors, the most important of which is your age.

The classic 4% rule for retirement withdrawals was built for a bygone era. Learn why it's less reliable today and how to build a flexible spending plan that fits your life.

Recent research supports moving away from rigid withdrawal rates. Morningstar’s December 2025 analysis recommends a 3.9% starting safe withdrawal rate for new retirees with a 30-year horizon—not 4%.

The 4% rule assumes a 30-year retirement horizon with a balanced stock-bond portfolio. Ramsey’s 8% rule requires a stock-heavy portfolio to generate sufficient returns. Both strategies demand ...

The “right” safe starting withdrawal rate is a moving target, depending on equity valuations, bond yields, prospects for inflation, and a retiree’s own life expectancy and asset allocation, among ...

I have always said that asset accumulation is easy but the true difficulty is in asset distribution. There is no single plan that is right for everyone. Perhaps the best-known distribution plan is the ...

For years, financial experts have stood by the 4% rule for managing retirement plan withdrawals. If that's not enough income for you, you may be able to go higher. You'll need the right mix of ...

I have always said that asset accumulation is easy but the true difficulty is in asset distribution. There is no single plan that is right for everyone. Perhaps the best-known distribution plan is the ...

Learn the early retirement withdrawal rules that allow you to access retirement funds before age 59½ without penalties, including the Rule of 72(t) and the Rule of 55, and how to use them wisely.