Retiring in 1942: the best year to start the 3.5% rule

Retiring in 1942 with $1M and a 3.5% inflation-adjusted withdrawal, the portfolio grew to $224.7M after 50 years. Its worst year was 1974, when the S&P 500 lost 20.7% including dividends. A 1942 retiree started in the middle of World War II, near the market low of April 1942, and then rode the long postwar boom.