GOBankingRates works with many financial advertisers to showcase their products and services to our audiences.

These brands compensate us to advertise their products in ads across our site.

This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site.

Dollar bills in glass jar on wooden table.

Commitment to Our Readers

GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information.

you could read more about oureditorial guidelinesand our products and servicesreview methodology.

In this article, well discuss creating a sustainable withdrawal strategy for your retirement fund.

facebook sharing button

Financial advisors often recommend using a combination of strategies if that will align with your goals and needs.

Heres a look at a few of the more common withdrawal strategies you’re able to choose from.

For example, assume you have aretirement account balanceof $1 million.

twitter sharing button

Withdrawing 4% during year one of retirement would mean $40,000.

By adjusting your withdrawal amount for inflation, youre helping to preserve your buying power.

Depending on the situation, this can affect how long your money will last.

linkedin sharing button

However, even with the risk, the 4% rule has been tried and true for decades.

Large negative market moves may require reducing spending to avoid depleting the assets too fast.

Fixed Dollar Strategy

The next approach is a fixed-dollar strategy.

email sharing button

This will look very similar to the 4% rule but without considering inflation.

For example, assume youre 70 and have a retirement account of $1 million.

This tends to be a popular approach because it simplifies the budgeting process in retirement.

Unfortunately, this strategy can reduce buying power because inflation isnt part of the calculation.

Things can also get a little uneasy if the stock market has a prolonged down period.

Continued withdrawals would impact your ability to ride the market back up again.

Additionally, depending on account performance, you might find that inflation starts becoming a concern.

This would be avery safe strategyand leave plenty of room for increasing withdrawals through asset sales.

Unfortunately, this is still higher than most retirees expect to have.

The first bucket would be a portfolio ofmostly cash and cash equivalents.

Youd use this money for living expenses over the next few years.

The third bucket would consist of your remaining retirement funds, which would be placed into growth-oriented securities.

Using this strategy will give youmore growth and controlof your portfolio.

However, it will require quite a bit more maintenance and oversight.

Short-term buckets are used for immediate expenses while long-term buckets are invested in growth assets.

As each bucket is emptied, funds are replenished through rebalancing.

If you dont, youll face penalties of up to 25% on the amount not withdrawn.

However, starting in 2033, the age for RMD will increase to 75. you’re able to use the Uniform Life Table onIRS Publication 590-Bto help you determine your RMD.

Most people will have both taxable and tax-deferred accounts.

Leaving these funds alone until you need them is smart because theyre growing tax-free.

That means you wont pay any taxes on the gains once the funds are withdrawn.

More From GOBankingRates

Share This Article:

The Latest inRetirement