You've done the work of saving for retirement, but now that you've reached your golden years, do you have a plan for how you'll spend down your nest egg? Key Takeaways This is because withdrawals of investment earnings from Roth IRAs are tax-free. In contrast, you must pay ordinary income tax on both your investment earnings and any contributions you withdraw from a traditional 401(k). Related Education For future retirees, Morningstar suggests withdrawing 3.9% of your portfolio the first year and then adju ...