Which savings should retirees draw down first?

Retirees often agonize over the order they should tap their accounts, whether to spend the RRSP first, protect the TFSA, or draw from non-registered savings, and this piece makes a freeing argument: that question matters far less than most people assume. After modelling many different withdrawal sequences, the conclusion is that over a typical retirement the difference to what is left behind is usually small. The point being made is that obsessing over the mechanics distracts from the thing that actually drives the plan, which is how you intend to live and spend. Start with a clear picture of the lifestyle you want, then figure out how to pay for it, and the withdrawal order tends to sort itself out. It is a calming read for anyone tangled up in decumulation strategy who has lost sight of the spending that is supposed to come first.