Retiring in 2008: $1M grew to $4M on a 3.5% withdrawal

Retiring in 2008 with $1M and a 3.5% inflation-adjusted withdrawal, the portfolio was worth $4M after 18 years, as of the latest data. Its worst year was 2008, when the S&P 500 lost 35.2% including dividends. 2008 brought the global financial crisis, as Lehman Brothers collapsed in September and the S&P 500 fell 57% from its 2007 peak to its March 2009 low.