loringf Date: 8/2/99 4:31 PM Number: 12721
Now, the caveat and the question: I am hoping to live on approximately 8% of the balance each year and supplement when necessary (i.e., when returns are down) with outside work/income. ... I'm 38

At 38, the only recession you have seen in your working lifetime is the mild downturn around 1992. My fear is that the only time you are looking for work is when none will be available. I've a bit of grey in my beard, and have seen several periods where 50% of engineering school graduates didn't have a job by the Winter after graduation, and even MacDonald's weren't hiring. My advice is to be less sanguine about how easy it will be to supplement income with work.