What's the required minimum distribution from a $400,000 retirement account?

MoneyWatch: Managing Your Money What's the required minimum distribution from a $400,000 retirement account? We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Angelica Leicht Angelica Leicht Senior Editor, Managing Your Money Angelica Leicht is the senior editor for the Managing Your Money section for CBSNews.com, where she writes and edits articles on a range of personal finance topics. Angelica previously held editing roles at The Simple Dollar, Interest, HousingWire and other financial publications. Read Full Bio Angelica Leicht May 27, 2026 / 11:08 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google If you're a retiree with $400,000 saved for retirement, the required annual withdrawals can quickly add up. Suchada Toemkraisri/Getty Images Americans approaching retirement right now are facing a very different financial landscape than the one many had planned for. Inflation has remained stubbornly elevated recently and is now rising, market volatility has returned in waves and interest rate uncertainty continues to complicate many long-term retirement planning decisions. At the same time, more retirees are relying heavily on their retirement savings to cover their everyday expenses, particularly as healthcare, insurance and housing costs continue to rise.That backdrop is putting certain retirement requirements, like required minimum distributions (RMDs), into focus for retirees and pre-retirees alike. While many retirement savers spend years concentrating on how to grow their nest egg, fewer pay close attention to the rules governing when those funds must start being withdrawn to avoid costly penalties. But once those mandatory withdrawals begin, they can have ripple effects on everything from taxes to Medicare premiums and even your long-term portfolio strategy.And for retirees with sizable balan...