What are the key financial moves in the first few years of retirement?

The early retirement years set the tone for everything after, so protect against sequence-of-returns risk — the danger of big losses while you're withdrawing. Keep a cash cushion of one to three years of spending so you never sell stocks in a downturn to pay bills. Set a sustainable withdrawal rate (many planners start near 4% of the portfolio, adjusted for inflation) and revisit it yearly. Coordinate Social Security, pensions, and portfolio withdrawals tax-efficiently, often spending taxable accounts first while letting Roth grow. Watch health-care costs and consider Roth conversions before required minimum distributions hit at 73. Do an annual review to stay on track. The tool at wealthserene.com/tools/retirement-planner helps you stress-test the plan.