What are retirement withdrawal strategies?

Retirement withdrawal rules

Typically, with 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), you can start to make penalty-free withdrawals when you turn 59 ½.  If you need access to your funds before then, you can make an early withdrawal, but you’ll incur an additional 10% early withdrawal tax penalty unless an exception applies.

Some retirement withdrawals are involuntary.  For example, tax-deferred retirement accounts require minimum distributions at a set time in your life.  However, workplace accounts such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s may allow you to defer distributions while you are still working.  The amount that you’re required to withdraw is called a required minimum distribution (RMD).  You can withdraw more than the RMD. The SECURE 2.0 Act increased the starting age for RMDs to 73 in 2023 and established an additional increase that will bring the starting age to 75 by 2033. RMDs continue for the retirement account owner’s lifetime and generally affect the account’s beneficiaries.  If you fail to make withdrawals that meet the required standards, you may be subject to a 25% excise tax.  Roth IRAs and 401(k)s do not have RMDs.

Outside of those requirements, you can choose from strategies such as fixed-dollar or fixed-percentage withdrawal plans that allow you to choose when and how you make withdrawals from your nest egg.  Once you start taking these distributions from a traditional account, your withdrawals will be taxed as ordinary income.  In qualifying Roth accounts, since contributions are made from after-tax dollars, your withdrawals in retirement generally aren't taxed.

Retirement withdrawal strategies

Whether you’re invested in an IRA, a 401(k) or another type of plan, you can establish a strategy for withdrawal designed to provide the income you need to fund your retirement.

What is the 4% withdrawal rule?

The 4% rule is a strategy that says you should withdraw 4% of your retirement savings in your first year of retirement. In subsequent years, tack on an additional 2% to adjust for inflation.

For example, if you have $1 million saved under this strategy, you would withdraw $40,000 during your first year in retirement. The second year, you would take out $40,800 (the original amount plus 2%). The third year, you would withdraw $41,616 (the previous year’s amount, plus 2%), and so on.

Potential advantages: This has been a longstanding retirement withdrawal strategy. Many retirees value this strategy because it’s simple to follow and gives you a predictable amount of income each year.

Potential disadvantages: Lately, this approach has been criticized for not considering the effects of rising interest rates and market volatility. Indeed, if you retire at the onset of a steep stock market decline, you risk depleting your savings early.

What are fixed-dollar withdrawals?

Some retirees take out a fixed dollar amount over a specific period of time. For example, you might decide to withdraw $40,000 annually and then reassess the dollar amount at the end of a five-year period. While this provides predictable annual income (which can help you budget accordingly), it doesn’t do much to protect against inflation; and depending on the dollar amount you choose, you could erode your principal. Moreover, if your investments are down in value due to market volatility, you may need to sell more of your assets to meet your withdrawal needs.

Potential advantages: This approach can simplify your personal money management. If you arrange a fixed-dollar withdrawal from an IRA account, federal taxes can be automatically withheld.

Potential disadvantages: This approach doesn’t protect against inflation; for example, $40,000 may not have the same purchasing power from one year to the next. Additionally, in a down market, you may have to liquidate more assets to meet your fixed-dollar withdrawal.

What are fixed-percentage withdrawals?

Another approach is to withdraw a set percentage of your portfolio annually. The dollar amount of the distribution will vary, based on the underlying value of your portfolio. While this method creates a certain amount of uncertainty, if you choose a percentage below the anticipated rate of return, you could actually grow your income and account value. On the other hand, if the percentage is too high, you risk depleting your assets prematurely.

Let’s say you have a portfolio of $1 million dollars, and you decide to take out 4% every year. That gives you $40,000 to spend for the year.

Potential advantages: This approach is a simple formula to follow.

Potential disadvantages: The 4% you decide to withdraw is unlikely to equal the same amount each year. The pool of money you’re drawing from may grow or shrink every year, so you may not get a consistent annual income.

What is a systematic withdrawal plan?

In a systematic withdrawal plan, you only withdraw the income (such as dividends or interest) created by the underlying investments in your portfolio. Because your principal remains intact, this is designed to prevent you from running out of money and may afford you the potential to grow your investments over time, while still providing retirement income. However, the amount of income you receive in any given year will vary, since it depends on market performance. There’s also the risk that the amount you’re able to withdraw won’t keep pace with inflation.

Potential advantages: This approach only touches the income – not your principal – so your portfolio maintains the potential to grow.

Potential disadvantages: You won’t withdraw the same amount of money every year, and you might get outpaced by inflation.

What is a withdrawal “buckets” strategy?

With the “buckets” strategy, you withdraw assets from three “buckets,” or separate types of accounts holding your assets.

Under this strategy, the first bucket holds some percentage of your savings in cash: often three-to-five years of living expenses. The second holds mostly fixed income securities. The third bucket contains your remaining investments in equities. As you use the cash from the first bucket, you replenish it with earnings from the second and third buckets.

By setting aside several years' worth of living expenses, your investments ideally would have more time to grow, sustaining as much of your savings as you can for as long as possible.

Potential advantages: This approach allows your savings to continue to grow over time. Through constant review of your funding, you also benefit from a sense of control over your assets.

Potential disadvantages: This approach is more time-consuming.

Mix and match

You can mix and match the above approaches to arrive at the optimal income plan for your circumstances. As you think through what your major expenses are likely to be in retirement, you can combine investment strategies and fund your various income needs separately.

Retirement spending calculator

The LifePath^® Spending Tool is designed to help retirees estimate retirement spending potential. With just three simple inputs – Current Age, Current Savings, and Portfolio Equity Allocation – retirees can see estimated spending potential in the current year, plus savings and retirement spending estimates over time. Unlike many other retirement spending strategies, the LifePath Spending Tool incorporates life expectancy estimates and long term views on potential market performance. Additionally, retirees can enter a Social Security estimate to get a more holistic view of potential retirement income.