I’m in my late 50s with a respectable (not enormous) nest egg — but I’m skeptical of the ‘4% rule,’ so how else can I safely withdraw money in retirement without going broke?

Choosing a safe withdrawal rate

Choosing a safe withdrawal rate is the most important thing you can do to make your money last. This means you limit the amount you take out each year to ensure you leave enough in your account to continue earning returns and avoid dropping your principal balance too fast.

There are many different ways you can do that.

The most conservative option is to live on interest alone. If you have $1 million and earn 3% interest, you'd live on the $30,000 annual yield and not touch your actual nest egg.

The problem is, you don't necessarily earn a consistent or substantial amount of interest every year since investment performance fluctuates. That’s on top of the obvious fact that if you aren't planning to draw down the balance at all, you need to amass a pretty large balance to produce an annual sum that you could conceivably live on: having a million dollars at retirement is easier said than done.

And we haven’t even brought up inflation yet. Hence the second option, what is commonly called the 4% rule, according to which your money should last at least 30 years if you only take 4% out in Year 1 of retirement and increase the amount to keep pace with inflation.

However, this has some problems too. Most notably, experts now say you must cap withdrawals at 3.7% for your money to last since future projected returns have declined while lifespans have gotten longer. The 4% rule also doesn't respond to changes in market conditions.

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College recommends a different approach, which involves letting the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) rules guide you.

Retirees with tax-advantaged accounts must take minimum distributions starting at age 73, but CRR said these tables can be a guide even before, and even for those with accounts not subject to RMDs, since they take investment performance, marital status and lifespans into account.

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What’s your risk tolerance?

No matter which option you pick, it's smart to consider the level of risk you want to take on. The more risk-averse you are, the smaller your withdrawals should be. You should also have at least two years of liquid, accessible cash you can live on to avoid having to make withdrawals during a downturn and lock in stock market losses.

If you follow one of these methods, you can hopefully ensure your money lasts as long as you do. A financial advisor can also help you develop a personalized approach to retirement withdrawals tailored specifically to you, if you want the very best chance of making your money last.