Can one retire early if they have the ability to significantly cut back on discretionary spending during retirement if they must? A recent article on the MadFientist blog claims that following a Discretionary Spending Rule in retirement can significantly increase a retirees Safe Withdrawal Rate. And with a higher SWR, one can retire early.Karsten Jeske (Big ERN) of Early Retirement Now responded with his own article. He called flexibility in retirement a myth, and detailed why he thinks the D...