How Much is Enough?

 If you have a rate of return of only 4%, and your drawdown rate is 4%, you've already achieved lifetime sustainability -- no matter how long you live.

The rate of inflation affects everyone equally, so one doesn't need to add on some imaginary inflation rate beyond that -- like the labor unions like to flim flam the "leaders" with, and multiply their advantage over everybody else.

Intelligent people frequent the markets that are more favorable to them -- rather than the most punitive, as though it doesn't make a difference.

Those personal decisions and life orientations (choices), will make a much bigger difference than the rate of return once one has accumulated a modestly sufficient nest egg, at which point the "game" of simply making more money, should be moot.
 
Yet we see in these same articles, that the reason for maximizing one's returns, is so that one can spend it foolishly and lavishly on travel, entertainment, fine dining and wining -- at which point all bets are off that one could ever have enough money, time and energy -- because only one part of the equation, is not enough to arrive at any valid answer.

It is the balance and interplay of all the variables (and constants), that makes any solution useful -- and not any one factor in isolation -- no matter how large or small.

The wise person will live within their means in good times and bad -- while the fool, will deny that they should ever adjust their expenditures, no matter what.  That seems to be the presumption of most of the financial experts -- that humans (life) never adjusts, adapts, and evolves -- and therefore is doomed.

There is no "happily forever" after from the beginning for all time.  If you always do the best you can, you always will.