4% Rule: Is It Still Safe in 2026?
The 4% rule has survived three decades, two market crashes, and a pandemic. It hasn’t survived 2026. William Bengen, the financial planner who created the rule in 1994, just raised his own number to 4.7%. Morningstar’s 2026 research says the safe rate is actually 3.9%. That’s a 20% disagreement between two of the most cited … Read more
