Is the 4% withdrawal rule a good rule for retirement?
Published 18 September 2026
Your opinion Ravi?
Ravi’s view in the podcast is that the commonly discussed 3%–4% withdrawal rule is a misnomer if applied universally.
Retirement requirements are very personal.
What lifestyle do you want? What responsibilities do you still have? How much corpus have you accumulated? What assumptions are you making about life expectancy and inflation?
It may even be possible that during the first 10 years of retirement you need a higher withdrawal because responsibilities such as your children’s education are still continuing.
Later, your requirement may fall towards 3%–4% or even below.
There is no standard withdrawal percentage that fits every family.
“I genuinely feel that the 3%–4% that people normally talk about is a misnomer.”
“It varies from person to person and there is no standardised answer.”
This question and answer is derived from the podcast between Ravi and Sachin. See the full podcast here.
This is not personalized investment advice. Your financial situation, goals and constraints may be different, so assess your own situation and discuss it with your financial advisor.
Retirement requirements are very personal.
What lifestyle do you want? What responsibilities do you still have? How much corpus have you accumulated? What assumptions are you making about life expectancy and inflation?
It may even be possible that during the first 10 years of retirement you need a higher withdrawal because responsibilities such as your children’s education are still continuing.
Later, your requirement may fall towards 3%–4% or even below.
There is no standard withdrawal percentage that fits every family.
“I genuinely feel that the 3%–4% that people normally talk about is a misnomer.”
“It varies from person to person and there is no standardised answer.”
This question and answer is derived from the podcast between Ravi and Sachin. See the full podcast here.
This is not personalized investment advice. Your financial situation, goals and constraints may be different, so assess your own situation and discuss it with your financial advisor.