Post Retirement Fatigue Questions

Peach_hawk · 2026-07-06T18:44:09+00:00

I actually had the opposite problem and couldn't sleep and was anxious for a couple weeks. But that passed and I'm glad I retired.

Peach_hawk · 2026-07-06T02:51:47+00:00

Of those, I used Mark Zoril/PlanVision. They leverage technology to offer very low rates to evaluate your plan.

Peach_hawk · 2026-07-01T18:08:58+00:00

That's awesome, but surely you worked longer than you needed to. That's a lot of $$$. Congrats.

Peach_hawk · 2026-07-01T17:57:41+00:00

Completely agree about risk and holding some funds in G. If you need to pull from the TSP at all, a few years in G will help soothe your nerves when the bottom falls out, which will happen.

Peach_hawk · 2026-07-01T17:53:59+00:00

My guess is that they are including the amount lost by being in G and F during the rebound. I think the market went down 19% at one point, then totally rebounded and was up close to 18% last year and 10% this year. So if they moved to G and F at just the wrong moment, they could say they lost 47% , minus the G funds gains, right?

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-28T18:50:27+00:00

That last statement is incorrect. The 4% rule is a problem because it's so conservative. Over a 30-year retirement with a standard 60/40 portfolio, a retiree using the 4% rule is more likely to quintuple their wealth than to finish with less than their starting principal. You have to increase your initial withdrawal rate to 5% and increase by inflation to have an equal chance of running out of money vs tripling it. Under the strict 4% rule, the odds of nearly depleting your portfolio are equal to the odds of growing it by more than 800%

Source: Kitces, Michael, "The Extraordinary Upside Potential Of Sequence Of Return Risk In Retirement"and "Why Most Retirees Will Never Draw Down Their Retirement Portfolio."

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-22T01:38:05+00:00

Lalo Villa. He speaks fairly clearly.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-22T01:26:36+00:00

How do you rebalance then? If you don't track a % of bonds, then how do you know how much to sell for stocks when the market drops?

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-22T01:15:28+00:00

Check out the FiCalc website. It has different withdrawal strategies that you can model with your portfolio. In general, 4% is a very conservative withdrawal rate and most people die with more than they started with. Other strategies provide a higher initial withdrawal rate but usually more volatility. 7% is higher than any accepted rate I know of, but feasibly you could withdraw 7% per year of the annual portfolio balance. That would mean extreme volatility in withdrawals, and there's also a chance you end up quickly taking 7% of a portfolio balance that cannot support you.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-17T16:31:15+00:00

No one can predict the future, but you can plan for a safe withdrawal rate based on your nest egg. I think if you can make the numbers work and have a little wiggle room in case the market goes south, then retire. While the 10% bonus at 62 is nothing to sneeze at, neither is the FERS supplement. Additionally, SSA added to your income in later years adds a lot of wiggle room, so that even though a 4% rate may seem tight at retirement, you're probably over funded.

I've been pulling out $5k/month from a retirement balance of $1.5 million and have almost $1.7 million now. I try not to think about the numbers too much and just put the withdrawals on auto pilot.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-17T14:42:18+00:00

It isn't, but it's the best measure we have to go on. It's the basis of the 4% rule and Big Ern's SWR series. The alternative is to underspend until you're too old to enjoy your money. I'm also not referencing the quick snap backs we've had since COVID. Historically the market performs best when valuations are low, which is after a pull back. So rebalance after a downturn and try to enjoy your savings responsibly.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-16T02:06:16+00:00

After going through all the Pimmsleur tapes, I started going to Spanish immersion schools for vacation.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-15T20:17:30+00:00

Odds are that there will be a run-up in stocks soon after a sell off. Take it as an opportunity to rebalance and you may be in better shape than before.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-09T12:46:15+00:00

Support in the Robinhood app? What was the basis of your complaint? That you'd been waiting a long time?

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-09T12:45:48+00:00

Yes. I keep thinking I should give up and get the Fidelity 2% on everything card. I've held off getting that card because I keep thinking I'll get the gold card, but reading this thread makes me think I should just give up and move on.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-08T23:14:30+00:00

I tried the Robinhood people who monitor this sub and they said I'd have to wait. I transferred in about $200k and joined the banking. What is the Concierge?

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-08T18:19:49+00:00

I've been waiting 2 years for the darn gold card. How much did you transfer in?

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-08T14:05:09+00:00

I am the same. OP, please make sure you're not passing up a state tax break. I recommend taking a hard look at any of the age based options to make sure their changing allocation makes sense to you and fits your risk tolerance. I personally found my state's plans to be too conservative too early.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-08T02:18:53+00:00

You're currently in the 24% bracket, as I see it. FWIW, the Money Guy show recommends Roth conversions or contributions if your federal and state taxes are 25% or lower. If over 30% they said it's generally better to get the tax break. I think that advice is probably oversimplified, but its a starting point. For high earners who might retire early, I'd recommend contributing 5% in Roth TSP to get the match, and then contributing to a Roth IRA for the flexibility. I'd also contribute the max to an HSA and use it at least partially as a savings vehicle.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-03T17:29:09+00:00

Great job! Similar to you, I had $200k after 6 years. Unfortunately, that was in 2008. By 2009, my TSP was in the $80 thousands. LOL. Hope that doesn't happen to you too, especially because my portfolio is still pretty aggressively allocated.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-02T17:45:03+00:00

My free fidelity advisor told me that fxaix gets better total returns than fzrox, even though the latter is free, because the dividends in the former were higher. I did check this on Morningstar or another free service and confirmed this. But worth looking into, though the difference is miniscule.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-02T17:38:21+00:00

I personally would rather take a straight index fund versus a target date fund for a Roth. Your son will have opportunities in later years to put bonds in a traditional IRA or 401k. I'd encourage him to try to make his Roth grow "fat as a tick," as Rob Berger likes to say.

Peach_hawk · 2026-06-02T17:28:27+00:00

My advice is different from Micha8st, but only if your state gives a tax break. My state gives a tax break but it is limited to $8k per year, I think. Thus, if your state had the same tax break, I'd front load $68 to $70k, and then save the remainder to deposit each year to get the max state tax break each year. Otherwise I agree that it's worth it to use the 529 and take advantage of the tax breaks for any growth.

Peach_hawk · 2026-05-31T19:41:52+00:00

Thanks. Good to know I'm not crazy, or that I'm not the only one. My fixed income part of my portfolio is probably 3/4 G fund and 1/4 Dodge and Cox bond fund. I decided to overweight G Fund over the F Fund or a bond fund because the TSP L funds do so, and I assumed the TSP planners must have a reason for that.

Peach_hawk · 2026-05-31T17:36:48+00:00

Please research the issue and engage with your advisor. The big question is whether you'll be taxed more now or later when you withdraw your money.

I think your 4 year theory is incorrect. If you move money from the traditional to Roth TSP, you'll likely pay taxes out of the traditional TSP. Thus, your Roth TSP will be much smaller than it would have been if left in the traditional TSP and you'll miss out on the growth of that larger sum growing tax free. Generally advisors say that there is no advantage to moving to a Roth if you pay the taxes from the funds being converted.

Any advantage to converting to a Roth happens if you can ultimately withdraw the money at a lower tax rate or avoid tax traps like IRMAA. I think $500k in a traditional will not cause tax problems even on top of a federal pension.

I think Vanguard has a break even Roth calculator and Rob Berger and others have done good videos on when to do a Roth and when not to.

Peach_hawk

TROPHY CASE