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Retirement Planning

4% Rule

A guideline suggesting you can withdraw about 4% of your portfolio in year one of retirement, adjusted for inflation thereafter.

The 4% rule is a rule of thumb for retirement withdrawals. It implies a target portfolio of roughly 25 times your annual expenses. It is a helpful estimate rather than a guarantee, and its assumptions may not fit every situation — especially very long retirements.

Examples

  • A portfolio of $1,000,000 would support a first-year withdrawal of about $40,000.

Related terms

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Retirement Planning
Article

Understanding the 4% Rule

The 4% rule offers a simple starting point for how much you might withdraw from a portfolio each year — but it's a guideline, not a guarantee.

Retire Early Guide Team2 min

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