while it would be great to have enough in retirement funds to purchase 30 year government bonds and never draw down principal, that isn't the goal. The goal is to not run out of money before you die. Don't forget that a 4% withdrawal rate pretty much gives you 25 years of principal alone...beyond any earnings.

There are many that say 4% is too conservative. However, if you can save enough to live off of 2-3%, that can work for people. I strongly doubt I will work longer to achieve that kind of guarantee, versus 4%. I am more inclined to go 5%, than 3% because I really don't like having a job...but that's me. For safety, I won't go higher than 4%, but I think that I probably could - especially the older I get.

I think writers of magazines are more "writers" than "financial people" a lot of times. Still a good place to learn, but with a discerning eye. I also think many times there is an economic incentive/agenda from the broker point of view. Many brokers charge 1% per year of your assets, so 4% minus 1% equals 3%. Just make sure your broker can do better than you can. If all they say they can do is 3%, it might be time to find a new broker.