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.

For many Americans, the dream of retiring early is often hindered by the IRS’s 10% early withdrawal penalty on distributions from retirement accounts like IRAs or 401(k)s before age 59.5. However, the ...

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 ...