Bill Bengen: ‘Inflation Is the Greatest Enemy of Retirees’

Listen Now: Listen and subscribe to Morningstar’s The Long View from your mobile device: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Our guest on the podcast today is William Bengen. Bill has been a prolific researcher of retirement planning matters over his career, and he pioneered the exploration of safe withdrawal rates with his groundbreaking 1994 research that gave birth to what’s now called the 4% rule. His new book, A Richer Retirement: Supercharging the 4% Rule to Spend More and Enjoy More was published in August 2025. Bill is the former owner of Bengen Financial Services, an independent registered investment advisor that he launched in 1989 after his family sold the soda bottling business that he had helped manage. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT. Bill retired from his financial planning practice in 2013 but continues to conduct research on retirement planning and withdrawal rates. Episode Highlights Why the 4% Rule Needed a Rethink Inflation as the Biggest Retirement Risk Different Approaches to Finding Your Withdrawal Rate Factoring in Longevity, Taxes, and Legacy Managing Your Asset Allocations, and Outsourcing the Rebalancing Process The 4% Rule Is Not for Everyone More From Morningstar Bill Bengen: Revisiting Safe Withdrawal Rates How to Find Your Perfect Withdrawal Rate Strategy How Much Should You Allocate to Safer Assets? If you have a comment or a guest idea, please email us at TheLongView@Morningstar.com. Follow Christine Benz (@christine_benz) and Ben Johnson (@MstarBenJohnson) on X, and Christine Benz, Amy Arnott, and Ben Johnson on LinkedIn. Visit Morningstar.com for new research and insights from Christine, Ben, and Amy. Subscribe to Christine’s weekly newsletter, Improving Your Finances. If you want more Morningstar podcasts, check out The Morning Filter and Investing Insights. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.