Yeah my mother took a tax hit on pulling her 401K early but she was able to buy her house.
The 20 odd percent in penalties from taking the money early was a heck of a lot better than the 40% loss many in her situation took. She was a year away from retirement when she needed career ending back surgery that couldn’t wait.
As far as the perpetually self Righteous are concerned, they aren’t even coherent. One minute they complain about Obama destroying the economy, the next minute they’re bragging about how well they’re doing, and in the next minute they’re beating up on people being poor.
Personally I prefer to be flat broke in a house I own free and clear to having money on paper that can disappear living in a house that will disappear with the phantom money.
Everyone knows that when you are young you invest in high risk, high return stocks and as you get closer to retirement you invest in gradually lower risk, lower return stocks until about four years out from retirement you invest in no-risk, fixed income equities.
Being debt free is a lot better than being up to your hair follicles in debt but owning stocks and continually crowing about how well you are doing. One slip of the market and these people are toast ... except they’ll want to be made whole by someone.