Quick Read – A $1.1 million portfolio supports between $3,200 and $3,700 per month at a withdrawal rate of 3.5% to 4%, with lower starting withdrawals helping to protect against early market losses. – Delaying Social Security to 70 boosts benefits by roughly 8% per year past…
ll retirement age, making it the most powerful income move available. – Holding between 12 and 24 months of expenses in T-bills yielding near 4% shields your portfolio from forced stock sales during market downturns. – You are 60, you have built up roughly $1.1 million across retirement accounts, and you want to stop working before Social Security kicks in. The question is simple: what monthly check can that pile actually support without running dry?
This scenario shows up constantly. Suze Orman, who built her career on retirement planning, has fielded versions of it for years on her podcast, often returning to the same anchor: “if you just withdraw 4% of the money that you have in your account, it should last you a lifetime.” That rule of thumb is the right starting point. It is also slightly too optimistic for a 60-year-old, and the gap between the optimistic answer and the durable one is the entire article.
The situation in five lines – Age: 60, retiring before Social Security – Investable assets: $1.1 million – Planning horizon: 30+ years of withdrawals – Core question: sustainable monthly income before Social Security claims – What is at stake: sequence-of-returns risk, inflation drag, and longevity Why this matters: the first five to seven years of retirement do more to determine whether your money lasts than any other stretch. Withdraw too much into a weak market early, and no future rally fully repairs the damage. The honest range: $3,200 to $3,700 a month Run the math two ways.