Okay, we start with a portfolio worth $500K and we wish to withdraw, say $15K each year.

>That's ... uh, about 3% withdrawal rate, right?
Right. However, we want our portfolio to last 30 years ... guaranteed.

>Guaranteed? You're kidding, right?
Wrong. We just put the $500K under a pillow and withdraw $15K each year

Actually, we can withdraw over $16K each year. (See the red dot?) >What about inflation? Figure 1 shows how much we can withdraw if our withdrawal increases with inflation. >Is this some kind of joke? Well ... yes, but it points out some kind of minimum withdrawal rate. That's useful if you read articles about "Safe" withdrawal rates ... and they quote something like "2% is safe".

Figure 1

>So it's like a test of claims of "What's Safe?"
Exactly!