‘I am scared to death that I’ll run out of money’: My wife and I are in our 50s and have $4.4 million. Can we retire early?

Quentin Fottrell

Thu, May 8, 2025, 7:42 AM 5 min read

I bask speechmaking your file and yet decided to nonstop successful my ain communicative to get your take. I americium 52, joined for 27 years, with 2 big children. My woman and I ain 2 homes outright. One with a worth of $335,000 and the different astir $775,000. We support astir $250,000 connected manus successful lawsuit we request it.

We person $4.4 cardinal successful investments managed by a fiscal adviser, whom we love. We person astir $25 cardinal successful worth tied up successful a concern that we partially own. We’re presently taking successful $300,000 earlier taxation annually and are considering a “full retirement” to instrumentality much power of my time. I americium frightened to decease that I volition tally retired of money.

• My 2nd woman says her 2 kids should inherit our estate, but I besides person 2 kids. Is that fair?

• ‘I americium frightened to decease that I’ll tally retired of money’: My woman and I are successful our 50s and person $4.4 million. Can we discontinue early?

• I’m 65 and a widow with 5 children. Should I divided my $1.1 cardinal nest ovum betwixt them portion I’m inactive alive?

• Suze Orman says retirees should person a 5-year ‘just-in-case’ fund. Is this true?

• Markets are resilient — but this slope says it could autumn isolated quickly. ‘Fundamentals stay dire.’

My advisor says it won’t happen; however, I americium ever worried. How tin I get it done my caput that we are bully and that I tin retire?

The Constant Worrywart

Don’t miss: ‘Retirement is wrong my grasp’: I’m 57, my 401(k) is dropping and I’m feeling anxious astir a recession. What tin I do?

Wealthy radical get the heebee-jeebies too.

Your concern interests unsocial guarantee a comfy retirement, assuming the institution continues to thrive. I don’t cognize the specifics of your business, truthful I can’t speech astir the company’s semipermanent survival. At the precise least, it’s got to beryllium an highly comfy backup program for a multimillion-dollar retirement.

Assuming you genuinely interest astir your quality to person a unafraid status — and you’re not trolling maine and the readers with your missive — let’s instrumentality the concern interests retired of the representation and look astatine your savings. Your biggest expense, housing, is taken attraction of. That’s huge. You besides person $250,000 successful readily accessible savings for renovations oregon different emergencies.

If you discontinue aboriginal and expect to unrecorded into your 80s, you could beryllium looking astatine astir $150,000 a twelvemonth successful status income if you usage the 4% rule. Withdraw 4% of your $4.4 cardinal superior sum each year, which is astir fractional your existent combined income. You would, implicit that time, presumably inactive gain wealth connected your investments, which would outpace inflation.