Investor Facts: What Is A Withdrawal Rate?

You may have heard of the “rules of thumb” for a safe withdrawal rate in retirement.

Over the last few decades, some have suggested that a 4% annual withdrawal rate was safe.

However, after the longest recession (2000-02) and then the deepest recession (2007-09) since the Great Depression, the industry as a whole has come to agree that maybe retirees need to be a little more conservative.

Here’s a simple trick to get started thinking about your potential withdrawal rate in retirement:

Take 1 and divide it by the number of years you believe you will live. If you retire at 62 and think you’ll live till 90, then 1/28 = 0.0357.

That means you have a 3.57% withdrawal rate.

If you’re 65 and think you’ll live till 85, then 1/20 = 0.05 or a 5% withdrawal rate.

How withdrawal rate works

This withdrawal rate calculation works because the older you get, the more you can withdraw. You have less time, so the financial risk is lessened.

Now that we know this, how much do you need to retire? What’s your magic number?

It takes a little backing into the math, but this is why we did the withdrawal rate calculation first.

If you’re going to retire today and you’re 62 years of age, then you know you can safely withdraw 3.57% from your portfolio without outliving your money.

Let’s say you plan on spending $60,000 a year after you retire and your Social Security income will be $20,000 a year.

That leaves you with a $40,000 gap to fill. All we need to do now is figure out how much you need in your portfolio in order to retire today.

So, take $40,000 and divide it by 3.57% and you get $1,120,448.18. (Include the percent symbol when you calculate this on a calculator.)

There you have it! While it takes a few steps, you now have a pretty good start on an retirement income plan.

There’s more to all of this, of course. But these pretty straightforward equations can at least get you into the right frame of mind to make decisions about when to stop working, work less or, perhaps, to continue earning money a few years more.

MarketRiders, Inc. is a registered investment adviser.  Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies.  Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.