i tried to listen to the author speak once on youtube, he was intolerable
Taleb *is* indeed intolerable, but he's still worth listening to IMO.
A lot of fucking brilliant people are completely insufferable because they know how goddamn brilliant they are. If you really can't stand Taleb though, there are many more palatable people who've discussed him extensively.
I originally learned about Taleb through the wildly pleasant and digestible work of Malcolm Gladwell, who frames Taleb in a downright enchanting narrative and implores the reader to tolerate his arrogance.
I doubt I would have enjoyed Taleb without Gladwell's take as an intellectual fluffer so to speak, but thanks to that framing, I'm able to actually enjoy Taleb's particular flair as a fundamental part of who he is and *why* he thinks and behaves the way he does.
It's so important to remember that more conservative withdrawal rates generally result in significantly more money at death, not significantly more security during life.
The market can recover from a lot, so flexibility is really key in the event of a sustained drop, but if something takes it out irreversibly, it won't matter how much you used to have saved.