I’ve always been 100% invested in stocks. Now that I’m retired and planning to make regular withdrawals—roughly quarterly—I’ve moved enough into a money market fund earning 4% to cover the next 12 months of expenses. I’m now looking to reallocate an additional two years’ worth of funds.
In a normal environment, my approach would be simple: determine a fixed quarterly withdrawal amount and stick with it until I reach my goal. That method helped me avoid trying to time the market.
But this has been anything but a normal environment. Markets have shown little consistency, and while I’ve never believed in anyone’s ability to time the market reliably—not even in typical conditions—I certainly don’t trust myself to do it now.
I’d appreciate your advice on developing a sound withdrawal strategy under these circumstances.