Because freedom shouldn’t depend on a formula built for a world that no longer exists.

The 4% rule sounds comforting — withdraw 4% a year, adjust for inflation, and your money should last 30 years. It’s a simple story, and that’s exactly why it spread. But simple doesn’t mean sustainable. The rule was born in the 1990s, when mortgage rates were high, stocks were steady, and inflation was tame. It assumed you’d never face a financial crisis, a pandemic, or decades of unpredictable inflation. It was built for a world that doesn’t exist anymore.



“The 4% rule was built for your grandparents’ retirement — not your reality.”

In Pierce County, the average retiree spends nearly 40% more on living costs than just 15 years ago. Even retirees who “did everything right” — saved in their 401(k), diversified, and lived within their means — now find their income stretched thin. When markets drop 20% or inflation rises 5%, your 4% plan doesn’t adjust. It drains. That $1,000,000 portfolio you planned to live on becomes $800,000 overnight — but your expenses didn’t go down. They went up. “The 4% rule assumes a perfect world. The Financial Minimalist Plan is built for the real one.”

Tacoma isn’t the quiet, affordable city it once was. Housing costs are up, insurance premiums have jumped, and local property taxes have climbed to cover infrastructure projects. Even retirees with paid-off homes still face increasing costs. And with Joint Base Lewis-McChord nearby, many military retirees settle here for stability — only to find their pensions and benefits don’t stretch as far as they used to. The rising cost of healthcare, utilities, and everyday living makes every dollar feel smaller. You can’t fix a moving target with a fixed formula.

When Social Security was created in 1935, there were 42 workers for every retiree. Today, there are fewer than three — and by 2035, the ratio will likely fall below two. That means fewer workers paying in, and more retirees drawing out — a math problem no projection can solve. The average Social Security check in 2025 is about $1,910 per month. In Tacoma, that barely covers property taxes, utilities, and groceries — let alone healthcare or transportation.

“The problem isn’t just the cost of retirement — it’s that the system was built

for a world where people didn’t live this long.”

In the 1940s, most people retired at 65 and passed away before 70. Now people regularly live to 85 or 90 — often relying on Social Security as their only guaranteed income source. Even the system’s “cost-of-living adjustments” can’t keep up with reality. When prices rise 6% and benefits rise 3%, retirees fall behind every single year. And if Congress doesn’t act, the Social Security Trust Fund could face cuts within the next decade. The system can’t keep the promises it made because it wasn’t designed for this economy or this lifespan.

“Relying on Social Security alone is like building your retirement on sand. It

holds until the tide comes in.”

That’s why the Financial Minimalist Plan focuses on independence — creating structure that doesn’t rely on Washington, Wall Street, or luck. You can’t fix a broken system — but you can build outside of it.

Traditional advice says: keep your savings over here, your debt over there, your income separate from your assets. But separation is the enemy of efficiency. Your money isn’t designed to sit still. When your savings earn 3% and your debt costs 7%, you’re paying a 4% penalty just for following “the rules.” The Financial Minimalist Plan integrates flow so every dollar does more than one job — it reduces debt and builds equity at the same time. “Divided money works for the bank. Structured money works for you.”

Most of what the financial world teaches isn’t math — it’s marketing. The 4% rule, “good debt vs. bad debt,” and “refinance and save” are stories designed to make you feel safe, not make you free. Almost none of it is built on numbers you control. It’s based on variables — if the market goes up, if inflation stays low, if taxes don’t rise. No one can guarantee any of that. Everyone is guessing — and then they call it a plan. And when they

talk about the law of averages, they never tell you this: if you lose 50% of your money this year and gain 50% next year, you’re still down — because you have to earn 100% just to break even. That’s not recovery. That’s a reset.

“The law of averages doesn’t build wealth — it hides risk.”

So you end up trusting projections built on emotion and assumption instead of facts and flow. At Financial Minimalist, we build plans that don’t depend on averages — they depend on accuracy.

We don’t rely on guesswork. The Financial Minimalist Plan focuses on dynamic flow — how money enters, exits, and recycles through your life. Your plan moves with you. When life changes, it adapts automatically. It’s not about saving more; it’s about structuring what you already have to move more efficiently. You can build liquidity, flexibility, and growth simultaneously — without new risk, new loans, or more sacrifice.



“You don’t need a bigger nest egg — you need smarter, dynamic circulation.”

• The 4% rule assumes a world that no longer exists.
• Inflation, longevity, and Social Security strain make it unsustainable.
• The real answer lies in dynamic cash flow, structure, and adaptability.
• Tacoma’s rising costs demand smarter timing and flow.
• Financial freedom isn’t built on guesses — it’s built on control.