The first time I walked into an Italian bank, I thought I’d made a wrong turn and ended up in a museum. The marble counters were chipped from the 1960s, the chairs squeaked, and the teller—an older man with a mustache that looked unionized—stamped my form with a satisfying thud that echoed through the room like a declaration of independence. No rush. No digital screens counting my impatience. Just the rhythm of a man who has never once said the words “time is money.” And that

You’re not just retiring abroad — you’re exiting a financial system that’s being reshaped in real time by tariffs, currency shocks, and political volatility. The 4% rule wasn’t built for this world. Pretending it still works isn’t optimism — it’s negligence.