Withdrawals & RMDs

Taking money out: required minimum distributions, early-withdrawal exceptions, and the order to draw from accounts.

6 articles in this topic.

Last updated: 2026-08-17.

• Order of Withdrawal: Taxable, Tax-Deferred, Tax-Free

  Taxable first, tax-deferred second, Roth last is right only on average. Filling brackets each year usually beats the textbook order by tens of thousands.

• RMD Planning to Reduce Lifetime Taxes

  RMDs are not a one-year tax problem but a thirty-year one. Pre-RMD conversions, QCDs, and the survivor compression that makes the second bill worst.

• Roth Conversions in Retirement

  The years between retiring and starting Social Security or RMDs are the cheapest time to convert to Roth. The bracket-filling math, and IRMAA awareness.

• Bucket Strategies for Drawing Down Accounts

  The three-bucket approach holds one to two years in cash, three to ten in bonds, and the rest in equities. Why it works, and how to refill the buckets.

• Sequence-of-Returns Risk in Early Retirement

  Two retirees with the same average return can end very differently if the bad years come first. Why the first five years matter most, and what to do.

• The 4% Rule Revisited

  Bengen's 1994 study found a 4% initial withdrawal, indexed for inflation, survived every 30-year period in U.S. history. What it does not say.

• Calculator & Tool

  Retirement Income Calculator

  See how much monthly income your savings will generate in retirement.

• Calculator & Tool

  How Much Do I Need to Retire?

  The 25x rule, the income-replacement method, and savings benchmarks by age.