About | DoubleBucket Method

About this Web-Site and the Team

Welcome, and thank you for visiting. This web-site was developed from the quandary of why you can only withdraw 4% of your retirement nest egg when the stock market returns 9-10%? With inflation averaging 3% and a 4% withdrawal rate, that means you are effectively withdrawing 7% per year. That only leaves a 2-3% cushion to survive market downturns and upticks in inflation. Plus, you wouldn't put all your eggs in the stock market basket so assuming a return of 9-10% isn’t realistic either. In fact, is a 4% withdrawal rate too high? With recent low returns of government bonds, it may be. Is there an alternative to the 4% rule? What if you could dip into the principal and slowly drain that down to zero at the end of your life? That might allow you to boost up that 4% rate a little.

We felt there was better way to more gracefully use principal in addition to earnings and that was the origin of the DoubleBucket™ Method. One thing noted above is "what if the principal could drain down to zero at the end of your life". Predicting your judgement day with any certainty is not realistic, but our research paper will explain how to approach that problem along with all the other details of the DoubleBucket Method.

We provide 2 main features on this site: 1) Historical analysis of various diversified asset classes, and 2) Use of that analysis to derive a yearly asset mix and withdrawal rate going forward. We then use straightforward TVM (time-value-of-money) calculations to derive future asset allocations.

Regardless if you actually use the DoubleBucket Method, we hope you find some benefit from what we’ve published. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please drop us a line on the Contact Page.

Now let's meet the team:

CRAIG PEDERSEN is the developer of this website and creator of the DoubleBucket Method. He is a math guy by education, a computer programmer by trade, and a financial analyst by hobby. He does have a degree in Financial Planning from North Carolina State and has passed the CFP® Exam, but doesn't have the work experience to call himself a Certified Financial Planner™. Given that, why would you put any credence in what has been published here? The DoubleBucket Method isn’t necessarily about financial planning, but the math behind financial planning. Craig has spent most of his career as a computer programmer and application engineer for a variety of engineering companies. He loves to crunch numbers, but does get away sometimes for golf and travel.

CHARLES V. FULMER, CFP® joined the team in 2021 and is the Business Development Manager. Charlie began his career in finance with Fidelity Investments back in 2014, serving in a variety of roles including general service, investment solutions, retirement planning and then fixed income. In his seven years at Fidelity, he became a disciplined advisor and life planner. Prior to joining Fidelity, Charlie worked as a group general manager for a platform of instrumentation companies within Teledyne Technologies where his engineering and business background were critical. He managed hundreds of employees there and the journey to become a Certified Financial Planner™ was driven by this experience. He holds an engineering degree, BSME and an MBA; both degrees from Northeastern University. Charlie is an exercise nut, beach fan and loves outdoor fun. Investments are his hobby. He lives in Tampa Florida, after retiring from Fidelity in 2021.