If you choose early retirement, you have a long money-management journey ahead of you. By choosing the right withdrawal strategy, you can absorb shocks and bumps in the road. The well-worn 4% rule from retired financial adviser William Bengen has been guiding retirees through their golden years since the 1990s. Bengen analyzed stock and bond market returns and determined that withdrawing 4% of your portfolio every year was a relatively safe way to ensure you don’t run out of money while retired (1). Must ...