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Comment by brazzy | Hacker News Reader

But whether you start your retirement at a time the market is down a lot or up a lot can make a surprisingly big difference on how long your money lasts, if you don't adjust your spending.

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Ideally, shouldn't someone planning to retire have already moved more of their money to bonds? Then they could just withdrawal from the bonds portion of the portfolio (which is likely up right now) while the stock market recovers.

However you frame it, there's always a time you start withdrawals. And if when you planned to do that coincides with a dip, of course you'll have second thoughts.

Did so about a year ago based on SMAs and momentum. Only wish there was a cash option to put have them move everything to for the time being, but only had bonds as an option.

Best thing is to watch out for the SMA support levels. Just got through a major death cross and looks to be heading further down

Though you should have options. Don't retire in a down year. Start moving things to safer investments several years before you retire. Don't spend as much that first year. Still the numbers given are good examples and something to keep in mind.

Bonds yields are the lowest they have been since the great recession.

Yields are low because bond prices are high. It's not a bad time to be selling down your bond portfolio right now.

Doc, it hurts when I do this!

So...

Every medical expense, every food expense has the result of costing more of a percentage of your remaining funds. Many costs can’t be put off.

All costs are on a spectrum of urgency. Food can be put off longer than water. A small plumbing problem can be put off longer than a large plumbing problem. A furnace problem can be put off longer if it's not cold. Replacing a car can be put off longer than fixing the brakes.

There is no such thing as having all your costs due immediately with equal urgency.

On the one hand, you're absolutely right. On the other hand, if I'm putting off food or even general house/vehicle maintenance because of market conditions, my retirement has already failed from my point of view.

If you are that badly off you couldn't afford to retire. For most of the US you have a big spending problem because SS is enough to provide food and basic house/vehicle maintenance. (I know a few people who opted out of SS and then did bad retirement planning - but most people didn't even had the option to opt out of SS)

SS isn't much I'll grant. However it is enough to provide the basics.

I am counting on social security, and I think all the talk about it "running out" is stupid. It runs year by year on the income from that year, so it's completely up to the political will to pay, and whether the people who are working are willing to keep the retired from starving. I assume they will be, because if not, who gives a shit about anything anyway?

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