Need cash? Avoid tapping your retirement account.
Imagine if your 35-year-old self magically appeared in front of you one day and asked for a percentage of your retirement savings or a bit of your retirement income. While this would never happen, something financially analogous happens in the lives of too many people. They withdraw assets from their retirement accounts in mid-life, which can hurt their lifetime retirement savings potential (and possibly, their retirement income potential as well). In effect, they borrow from their future selves when they take retirement plan distributions too early.
