09/04/2026
Long-term averages are all that matter while you're saving, but once you start withdrawing, the order of good and bad years can make or break your retirement, even with identical average returns. Two retirees with the same 7% average return can end up in totally different places: one thrives, the other runs out of money, depending on whether losses hit early or late. The fix: keep a cash reserve and a flexible spending plan so a downturn doesn't force bad decisions under pressure. https://open.substack.com/pub/swanburg/p/sequence-of-return-risk?r=1tn7mx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web