The Psychology of Portfolio Withdrawal Rates

This study investigates how personality and psychological characteristics shape portfolio withdrawal rates (PWR) within a sample of 3,678 U.S. individuals age 50 and over from the Health and Retirement Study. Structural equation model results revealed that those with greater conscientiousness, extraversion, positive affect, and financial self-efficacy have lower PWR; whereas those with greater openness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and negative affect have higher PWR. Findings from this study break new ground by establishing a link between psychological characteristics and PWR. Moreover, results provide insight to financial planning practitioners as they explore retirement income planning beyond its technical aspects and seek to maximize their clients' satisfaction from the consumption of their retirement portfolios.