Subject: Re: Year One withdrawal rate

Our expenses are also pretty lumpy. Might have a vacation or a larger house expense one month and not the next one. Estimated taxes, etc.

I think it helps a ton with stress if you are lucky enough to retire and then have the first 3-5 yrs in retirement provide nice returns in the stock market/investments. When you look at yearly numbers and see your total portfolio increasing despite spending more than you expected (largely due to inflation on things like insurance, utilities and house maintenance items) it is nice.

I'm also pretty heavy in fixed income (most treasuries) so while it still would worry me, a sizable stock market drop really wouldn't affect us for at least a decade.

Rich