From WSJ: Should 401K Withdrawals Be Easier?

Choosing to take some money out of your 401(k) “early”—before age 59½—is something that makes many financial advisers shudder.

Don’t fiddle with your nest egg, they preach. And for good reason. The government generally slaps a 10% penalty on early withdrawals. And you lose investment gains that the withdrawn cash might have had.

But is it really so wrong to tap your account (whether by withdrawal or just a loan) if you need the money? Would it be better to suffer when you need cash, perhaps to run up credit-card balances instead, while your 401(k) sits idly by?

Read the full article from the Wall Street Journal

https://www.wsj.com/articles/should-401-k-withdrawals-be-easier-11612620714?mod=hp_jr_pos1