Most ARF holders know their fund value. Most know Revenue requires a minimum annual drawdown. Very few have stopped to ask whether meeting that minimum is actually a strategy, or simply the path of least resistance.

In this episode, Paddy explores safe withdrawal rates in an Irish context: the research on real retiree behaviour, why the 4% rule is both useful and misunderstood, and why the sequence of returns in the first five years of retirement carries disproportionate weight on long-term outcomes.

He walks through a concrete sequence-of-return scenario: same starting fund, same average annual return, same withdrawal rate, completely different outcomes and shares a real-life case study of a retired solicitor whose conservative ARF mandate was quietly eroding her fund at a 7% real rate of depletion annually.

Covered in this episode:

• The US Health and Retirement Study findings on actual retiree withdrawals
• Bill Bengen's 4% rule and its Irish limitations
• Sequence of return risk and how a cash buffer changes the equation
• Three common ARF drawdown mistakes and three concrete takeaways.

The imputed distribution sets the floor. It doesn't set the strategy.

Read the full blog post at www.informeddecisions.ie/post/safe-withdrawal-strategy-arf-ireland

DISCLAIMER: This content is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute personalised financial advice. Always speak to a qualified, independent advisor about your own situation.