If you try to withdraw early from just about any retirement plan, you'll be slapped with a penalty—an incentive to leave your money alone and let it build toward retirement like you always intended.

If you try to withdraw early from just about any retirement plan, you'll be slapped with a penalty—an incentive to leave your money alone and let it build toward retirement like you always intended.

The 4% Rule is arguably the most famous strategy for making sure your retirement income lasts long. Developed in the 1990s, it offers an evidence-based answer to most retirees’ question: “How much can ...

The rule of 55 allows penalty-free 401(k) withdrawals only from your current employer’s plan after separation. Funds in old 401(k) accounts from previous employers remain subject to the 10% early ...

Your mid-fifties is a good time to do a retirement check. To be clear, you should always have at least one eye on retirement.

For the entirety of your career, you've heard the so-called rules of retirement. Save a certain percentage, retire at a specific age, and follow a regimented withdrawal plan. However, financial ...

A 54-year-old with $4M in a 401(k) has eight times the average balance for people in their 50s. The rule of 55 allows penalty-free 401(k) withdrawals if you leave your job in the year you turn 55 or ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Host of the Retire Sooner podcast and CFP™ practitioner. Many investors gain penalty-free access to retirement accounts at age 59½ ...