Is outmoded now. The huge rate curve that peaked in the early 80's has
effectively declined to zero and even less than zero if you include inflation, put an end to that number. Putting your safe money in money market or even laddered short term CDs still takes you backwards with inflation--which you then need to cover from your growth assets. But every bear market has the potential of crippling that growth pool by 10 to 40%.

And if you're drawing down that pool further by withdrawing funds to spend as income, you are compounding that loss further--sequence risk--making getting back to even increasing less likely and getting back to growth mode harder still.


Numerous articles on this, backed up with data, I think the Forbes one calls it the "4% Myth".

It's probably closer to 2.75% now indexed for inflation to be "safe".