William Bengen

BIOGRAPHY: WILLIAM P. BENGEN

William P. Bengen received a B.S. from M.I.T. in Aeronautics & Astronautics and a M.S. from the College for Financial Planning. He has had four careers: trained as an aerospace engineer, CEO of his family’s soft drink bottling business (NY), fee-only financial planning practitioner (CA), and currently a financial researcher and aspiring novelist (AZ). He is a former CFP® licensee. In the early 1990’s, in response to client questions, Mr. Bengen began research on the sustainability of withdrawals from stock and bond portfolios, which gave rise to the so-called “4% Rule.” He is frequently quoted in major financial publications, and appears regularly on financial industry podcasts. In 2014 he received NAPFA’s Robert J. Underwood Distinguished Service Award and in 2017 the InvestmentNews Innovators Award. In 2023 he was awarded the Inside Information Iconoclast Award. He currently lives in SaddleBrooke, AZ, where he continues his research into the “4% Rule.’