Most newly retired professionals make the same mistake in their first year: they withdraw from whichever account is easiest to access.

Usually that's a taxable brokerage account or a savings account. Sometimes it's an ISA or a pension pot, just because the login is handy. Rarely is it the right choice.

Here's why order matters so much:

Every account type has a different tax treatment on withdrawal. Drawing from a SIPP before touching your ISA means you're paying income tax on money that could have grown tax-free for another decade. Selling equities in a general account before using your CGT allowance means you might be creating a bigger tax bill than necessary.

The sequence you withdraw in — pensions, ISAs, taxable accounts, annuities — directly determines how much tax you pay across your entire retirement, not just this year. One wrong year of withdrawals can cascade into higher tax bands for years.

The income-first approach flips the usual thinking.

Instead of starting with "which account should I sell from," you start with one question: What do I actually need each month?

Then you work backwards:

1. Lock in guaranteed income sources (state pension, workplace pension, annuities)

2. Identify the gap between guaranteed income and your actual monthly needs

3. Fill that gap using the most tax-efficient withdrawal sequence across your accounts

This is exactly the framework behind the Retirement Income Blueprint — an 18,000-word guide built for newly retired professionals who want a clear 90-day plan. Not theory. Not a 400-page textbook. A working plan with worksheets you can fill in and follow.

If you've been putting off the "what do I actually withdraw first" question — that's exactly where Chapter 5 starts.