<prompt> Human: Sure I expect a lot of people to say stop just before retiring and I could do this and retire at 50 or 55. But what if I want more money in my pockets now after having saved a lot my first 20 years of working?Do I stop when my retirement fund grows yearly by as much as I can put in? Do I stop when it grows by 2x, 3x, 4x that amount?Seems like at some point what you put in makes less difference and living life while Im still relatively young and healthy is appealing to me.Right now assuming that I get an 8 return my retirement fund would grow by the same amount as what I put it yearly. Seems a bit early to stop paying completely but maybe I should start backing off from saving 18 of gross salary each year.Assistant: Expecting an 8 return after inflation is very optimistic. Youll always be at the whims of statistics, of course, but 8 is on the very high end of what has been historically achievable. It also depends how long you are going to live, of course, but for an indefinite period you cant expect this to work out.As I usually say when someone asks, the Norwegian Pension Fund worlds largest stock market fund operates with a 4 inflation-adjusted rate of return in the long term. This is also what Mr. Money Mustache reccommends, citing a comprehensive study which also arrived at this number: So, in short, if you never plan to make more money and expect to live for a long time, retire and quit saving when 4 of your retirement fund can pay for all your yearly expenses, and withdraw at that rate every year. This assumes at least 50 stocks in your portfolio.Human: I had seen the 4 rule before but had not seen it used before retirement. I had learned it was something when you wanted your money to last forever. I only need my money to last from 55-90 and thats being optimistic with my familys usual lifespan.If I stop saving entirely right now and go into retirement at 55 with 4 return until then and just 4 taken out each year after that...It is not enough.But then I dont need all that money to still be there when I die.  <response>: Thinking that youll only live to 90 may be a reasonable assumption but that doesnt mean it will happen that way. If you live to 95 do you want to spend the last 5 years of your life punching pennies? Also, inflation is one thing but cost of living can go up in other ways like adding a new utility nobody thought Internet would be a necessity 25 years ago or having a health issue that increases your personal cost of living - special diet, requiring a person to help you around the home, etc. Just some food for thought as you make your calculations. 