What would your tax be if you just took out what you needed each year to live on?

With 200k presumably in the IRA, I'd hazard a guess that you're looking at the 15% to 25% tax rate max. So why would you want to pay 36% now???

If you want to get some more out, I'd suggest taking just enough to keep you in your current tax bracket. That way you're not increasing your taxes unnecessarily.

And don't forget that the 15% rate on capital gains is set to expire in a couple of weeks. It goes back to 20% on Jan 1, 2011, unless Congress decides to extend this portion of the Bush tax cuts.

--Peter