23H·

Sequence of returns risk ... who does that mean anything to? 🤔

To be fair, for most people here, the return succession risk will not yet play a major role. I assume that 99% of all users here (including me) are still in the accumulation phase. But since we will all be moving towards the "unsaving phase" at some point, you should at least have heard about it once!


👉🏻 So what is this ominous risk of return succession?


Basically, it describes the risk that an unfavorable sequence of monthly or annual returns can lead to worse investment results than expected. Withdrawal plans (withdrawal phase) involve the risk that the capital is used up more quickly than planned, while savings plans (accumulation phase) involve the risk that the final capital is lower than expected.


In short, a stock market crash at the beginning of a savings phase sometimes has a more dramatic effect than towards the end of a savings phase, because in order to be able to pay out the planned fixed amount, more units have to be sold than planned... and these are missing during the recovery. Conversely, a stock market crash at the beginning of a savings phase naturally has a less dramatic effect on the final capital than at the end of a savings phase.


👉🏻 Is it possible to prevent the risk of a return succession?


A resounding no. To a certain extent, it is simply luck or bad luck. You can't predict when a crash will occur. But you can at least plan for different scenarios!


It is particularly important to think in scenarios for the withdrawal phase, because if the capital is used up before the planned end, that is a disaster. At the age of 70+, it will no longer be easy to find a new job to fill the gap.

So it only helps to calculate a withdrawal plan with a sufficient buffer and to reduce the absolute withdrawal amount in the event of a crash.


A crash at the end of a savings phase is unpleasant, but if in doubt (if you're in good health) you can add another year or two of work to sit out the crash...


Are you worried about that? I have to be honest and admit that I personally hadn't thought about it until recently... but I should probably do it sometime! 😅


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28 Commenti

immagine del profilo
Important topic. For many reasons, the withdrawal phase is much more complicated than the accumulation phase. Unfortunately, it is not talked about half as often.
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immagine del profilo
@randomdude I actually didn't realize that either. Somehow we focus far too often on the savings phase, but the withdrawal phase is also coming (hopefully 😉)
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immagine del profilo
Withdrawal? Cash flow is the key 🔑 for me.
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immagine del profilo
@Finanzaristokrat Also my plan A. But plan B is withdrawal 😂
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immagine del profilo
@Finanzaristokrat Withdrawal - cash flow - dividend - different names for the same thing.
immagine del profilo
@Epi not really. But never mind
immagine del profilo
@Finanzaristokrat if you withdraw the same value via sales that you would otherwise receive via dividends, you end up with exactly the same value as someone who receives "dividends". It's not the same, but it's the same.
1
immagine del profilo
@Psychedelic_Sunflower However, by selling, you reduce your future dividend yield.
immagine del profilo
@Psychedelic_Sunflower You're forgetting the fees when you sell.
immagine del profilo
@Part_Time_Joe In return, my shares increase in value by exactly the same proportion that others receive in dividends. If I don't sell more than the notional dividend yield, I end up with a 1:1 return. Plus what the tax deferral effect brings in, even if it is less than before the reform.
immagine del profilo
@Finanzaristokrat With one sale per month, that's €12 per year. I don't know if that's the decisive factor.
immagine del profilo
@Psychedelic_Sunflower I agree with you about 3 quarterly payers. But I have 28 shares, for example, and 1 doesn't pay. That's 100 distributions. So €100 less would annoy me.
immagine del profilo
@Finanzaristokrat You have to manage that yourself. Even with 28 shares, you can only realize 12 sales or less per year.
Visualizza tutti 3 ulteriori risposte
immagine del profilo
Super exciting topic!

Alongside the rate of return and the capital stock, the risk of return succession is the most important factor influencing the safe withdrawal rate. This in turn determines how much I have in old age and how long I have to work until I retire.
If you don't understand the risk of return succession, you may have to work 10-20 years longer 😉.

The risk of return succession and the low withdrawal rate is perhaps the strongest argument against B&H WeltETF. 3%pa is simply too low for the average person's capital.

But there are indeed ways to reduce the risk of a return chaser: smoothing the yield curve, typically through diversification across asset classes. However, as this also leads to a loss of returns, momentum strategies remain. These are particularly needed from the start of the withdrawal phase.

However, the risk of the return series has its counterpart in the savings phase: it is very low at the beginning, so that you have to take more risks at a young age so that you can reduce them significantly later and reach the optimum on average.

It therefore makes a lot of sense to manage your risk of return succession dynamically according to your age and goals!

Most people ignore the succession risk or are too comfortable to deal with it. But, as I said, it can add up to 10-20 years of your life. 😏
2
I do not want to start a discussion as to whether a dividend payment constitutes a withdrawal or whether this is mathematically identical to a sale of securities. In any case, no securities are withdrawn, which increases the chance of a substance-preserving recovery of the portfolio after a dip. In my opinion, anyone who has to sell securities in order to make a withdrawal is at a disadvantage. Ideally, the portfolio should end up being so large that dividends, other income plus reserves are sufficient to cover the cost of living for at least a few months. Always pay attention when someone talks about a "withdrawal plan". What exactly is meant. It is usually implied that the sale of shares is necessary because they are too small. Not at all. As my portfolio is large enough, I withdraw from the cash flow in a substance-neutral manner.
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immagine del profilo
@dividend_dynamo_2673 I would agree with that 100%. However, we are talking about deposit sizes well in excess of millions to really be able to cover your entire living expenses + buffer. This is likely to be achievable for very few people.
immagine del profilo
This is one of the reasons why I have quite a high proportion of gold in my portfolio. When the stock market crashes, gold is sold first, which, according to the plan, should be enough to cover my living expenses for about 5 years in old age.
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immagine del profilo
@Psychedelic_Sunflower Do you have it as a certificate or also physically?
immagine del profilo
@Part_Time_Joe I actually have it physically as Maple Leaf coins.
immagine del profilo
@Psychedelic_Sunflower I also have a few Krugerrands, but I never actually plan to sell them. It's just a hedge for emergencies ... more of a psychological thing 👍🏼
immagine del profilo
@Part_Time_Joe Never say never, but I would only sell them in an emergency. Or if I'm an old bag in retirement and have already squandered everything else 😂
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immagine del profilo
@Psychedelic_Sunflower or that... but that would definitely be an emergency 😂😂
immagine del profilo
If you want to play around with it a bit more, you can use my tool: https://wealthcalc.org/

I have built a visualizer for the RRR with basic scenario analysis based on your personal portfolio.

(I don't want to advertise, but it fits well with the post. The website is non-commercial and I earn 0€ with it, on the contrary the hosting costs).
1
immagine del profilo
I'll take another close look at this in 10-15 years when it's clear what (or whether 🤔) a pension will be. But there are still a few governments in between before it's worth thinking about it.
immagine del profilo
I'm right in the middle of it :)
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