I appreciate the concise form in which this article is written. The ultimate truth is that when it comes to retirement spending, the rules of thumb that are often relied upon are not always applicable to the individual.

For example, the safe withdrawal rate plan, by design, would ultimately distribute the greatest amount of assets later in the clients life. Generally, a retiree would be spending in the exact opposite pattern. People, while still young into their retirement, would be more inclined to travel and spend on discretionary goals. This is more so than a senior, even with their increased medical costs. This spending scenario can be compared to your Lower Returns in Early Years scenario.

A goal-based financial plan through Monte Carlo is a great way to account for sequence risk and measuring the true potential success of a client's spending goals.