4% Rule for Retirement: What Is It & How It Works (2024)

What Is the Rule of 4%?

If an investor is concerned about running out of money in retirement, the 4% rule may give them peace of mind and help them plan for a comfortable retirement. The 4% rule for retirement states that if an individual wants to have a 95% chance of not running out of money in retirement, they should plan to withdraw only 4% of their savings each year, adjusted for inflation.

This rule is based on historical data and has been shown to be a reliable guideline for retirees. With the 4% rule, individuals can plan to live comfortably in retirement without fear of outliving their money. Of course, everyone's situation is different and there are no guarantees in life, but the 4% rule is a good basic guideline for most.

The 4% rule is a guideline that can help individuals plan for a comfortable retirement without fear of running out of money. This is a very simple rule of thumb and shouldn’t be considered to be a hard and fast rule that will guarantee retirement goals are met. This rule isn’t meant to work for everyone’s personal situation.

How The 4% Rule Works

The 4% rule is a guideline for retirement that dictates how much an individual can withdraw from your savings each year in order to live on so that they don't outlive their savings. This rule is adjusted for inflation so that your withdrawals will keep up with the cost of living. In order to figure out how much someone can safely withdraw each year, simply take 4% of total retirement savings the first year, and then calculate what the amounts would be in subsequent years.

For example, if an individual has $100,000 saved up, they can withdraw $4,000 in the first year. In subsequent years, the amount withdrawn is adjusted for inflation by increasing the 4% withdrawal by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This can be calculated by taking 4% of one's original retirement savings, and then adding the CPI for that year. So, if the CPI is 2%, they would withdraw 4% + 2% = 6% of their original savings in the second year. This accounts for the margin of safety.

Advantages & Limitations of the 4% Rule

The 4% rule is an older rule of thumb, and it doesn't work for everyone. This means that every investor should evaluate the pros and cons for themselves to see if it makes sense for them.

Pros

• Easy to Follow: The process itself to follow the rule is simple to understand and follow. There's no need to understand complex market occurrences to correctly implement the 4% rule.

• Can Prevent Depletion of Funds: The rule was created to help people so that they don’t run out of savings during retirement. This can still be the case for some situations.

• Income is Steady: Individuals know exactly what to expect each year in terms of income coming from your savings.

Cons

• Tax Complications: The rule doesn’t account for taxes, which can vary greatly by where an investor lives and what account they're pulling money from.

• Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution: The 4% rule generally assumes that an investor has 50-60% of their savings in stocks. If this isn’t the case then the rule may not work because an investor's return may not match the overall market.

• Not Robust: The rule doesn’t account for a lot of factors such as lifestyle or market changes. The rule itself might be outdated for many.

• High Inflation: During periods of high inflation, such as what's emerged in 2022, the CPI adjustment to maximum withdrawals could cause an individual's savings to erode too quickly.

Is the 4% Rule Valid Today?

The 4% rule does not necessarily guarantee that someone will not run out of money, especially with the variety in which people invest their assets. Market conditions aren’t taken into account and lifestyle needs might not be met by only taking 4% of one's savings out each year, especially for more aggressive investors.

There is a lot that goes into an investor’s decision for both the investments they make but also how much will be needed each year to live off of in retirement.

While it’s important not to run out of money in retirement, that means something different to everyone. There should be much more to one's retirement plan than how much money you can take out of their portfolio each year.

Alternatives to the Rule of 4%

There aren't a lot of alternatives to the rule of 4% in retirement that will be a solution for everyone. Each alternative brings the same flaws and potential to be a misfire as the 4% rule does because everyone's situation is different. However, here are a few alternatives people can consider:

• Fixed Index Annuities: Fixed index annuities can provide more guaranteed income than set withdrawals, depending on how much someone has to invest.

• The 6% Method: With this method, the investor gets to withdraw 6% of their portfolio in year one of retirement to pay for living expenses. In subsequent years the investor can withdraw an increased amount to deal with inflation only if the resulting annual withdrawal is less than 6% of their current portfolio at that time.

• The 3% Rule: This is the same as the 4% rule but the individual is withdrawing less each year to ensure more stability.

• Variable Withdrawals: In this scenario, an investor aims to withdraw 5% of their portfolio but reduces that based on how the market performs. This means that no one is taking out more than their portfolio can afford to lose, but it could also mean that an investor lives on much less some years.

Is the Rule of 4% Right For You?

The 4% rule might be right for you but it completely depends on your personal circ*mstances. The right balance of how much to withdraw in retirement depends on an individual’s retirement goals and investment choices. For many people, the 4% rule will be outdated but it could still work if you’re looking for a stable option to outlive your portfolio amount.

FAQs

Here are the most frequently asked questions related to the 4% rule:

What is the 25x rule for retirement?

The 25x rule for retirement relates to how much an individual should save if you plan to live by the 4% rule in retirement. It states that to live on the 4% rule, someone should save 25 times their current annual expenses and have that amount in your retirement accounts.

How long will my money last using the 4% rule?

When someone uses the 4% rule then, their money should theoretically last for many years, but there is no way to know for sure because it will depend on the size of your retirement accounts. The intention of the 4% rule, however, is that one's money will last for 30 years or more.

Can I retire early with the 4% rule?

Abiding by the 4% rule doesn’t necessarily mean someone can retire early as that will depend on how much they have in your retirement accounts and how fast they can save 25 times their current expenses.