Pulling Money Out of Retirement Accounts Early

As people take off on their debt freedom journey, so many times they are tempted to withdraw money from their retirement accounts in an attempt to speed up their debt elimination process. We get questions all the time from people who want to know whether or not we think this is a good idea. 

I do not think it is ever a good idea to take money out of a retirement account in an effort to pay off debt. Many people feel like retirement is so far away that they have plenty of time to begin saving. And while you may have plenty of time to start saving, you will never regret starting as early as possible. The key is to start investing early and invest consistently. In all likelihood, no matter when you begin saving for retirement, you will wish you had started sooner.  

When you get started on your debt freedom journey, it can seem like the end is so far away. But I would encourage you to stay the course. Get a budget using one of our FREE tools, calculate your debt freedom date using our FREE calculator and slowly but surely, you will see those debts drop off. And once they are all gone, not only will you be debt free but you will also still have your money working for you in your retirement accounts. 

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Make Your Retirement Savings A TOP Priority

Do you feel like retirement is so far away you cannot even imagine it? Or do you feel like retirement is so close that you can taste it? Either way, you should be making your retirement savings a TOP priority today! 

Statistics show that many people do not start saving until they are only 10 to 15 years away from retirement! If you choose to wait on starting your retirement savings, you are missing out on something that can actually carry your financial burden called compound interest. Compound interest can take your $100/month investment to $1,176,477 in 40 years. The earlier you start and the more consistent you are, the better off you’ll be when you get ready to retire. 

If you are not actively contributing to accounts dedicated to retirement, I would highly encourage you to start doing so immediately! I have never ever heard someone say “Wow I wish I had waited to start saving for retirement” or “Joe I am retired and I just have too much money”. You will never be able to go back and retroactively start your retirement accounts. But what you can do, is make sure that you do not waste another minute and you start investing today. 

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Joe Sang's Current Investments

Full Disclosure: I am not a certified financial planner, nor do I sell investments, insurance products, or other similar financial products. My goal in sharing this information is to shed light on a topic that few people understand well. It is my hope that this information will help inspire more people to climb the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. Ladder (download a free copy HERE) and become wise investors so they can live fully funded lives. 

Throughout the month of October, we have been heavily focused on investing. I wanted to end the month by sharing my current investments. I do not recommend specific investments. I can only tell you the investments I own, and that they have worked well for me. The investments that you choose are up to you. I update this list of investments every March so make sure you are on the lookout. 

Click below to see a chart of my current investments.

The Basics of Oxen

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. Proverbs 14:4

This verse had a profound impact on me as I went through my financial freedom journey. From this verse, I realized that I could either live a life with an empty manger or with an abundant harvest and the choice was up to me. In the pursuit of financial abundance, I could choose to rely on myself and my own abilities, or I could acquire oxen to help me. Which do you think I chose? 

In my book, Oxen, I have outlined the different types of oxen, how to acquire oxen and how to lead oxen. These principles will help you maximize your financial resources and experience an abundant harvest, just as I did, so that you can fund your biggest and wildest dreams. 

Most people earn money by showing up to work and in turn they get paid. If you do not show up to work, you do not get paid. Oxen can allow you to earn money whether you are working or not! There is only so much time in a day and therefore there is only so much work that one person can physically put in. This is why oxen are so important: they allow you to eliminate the time barrier. 

Oxen can do things you cannot do. They have the ability to carry a load that you cannot carry and can endure more than you can endure. Oxen can be trained and can work together and accomplish even more. They work rain or shine, night and day so that you do not have to. They can multiply and take you places you may have only dreamed about. Oxen can provide. 

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