<prompt> Human: I work as a call center rep at a record keeper, and the vast majority of unhappy participants I speak with thought they could get money out more easily than they can, and are unsettled to learn that in the absolute best circumstances getting money takes one week or longer. Sometimes much longer. Sometimes it takes a ton of paperwork and processing fees too. Sometimes you cant get money out period, short of quittingretiring, and even then you might not get a penny for a while! You are at the mercy of IRS regulations, of the provisions set up by your employer which can change relatively abruptly, and of the processing timescompetency of the processing team at the record keeper. Even with great teams, withdrawals and loans from retirement accounts can be complicated, involving lengthy review processes, and mistakesdelays happen.Im sure this post has been made before but I needed to get it off my chest. Please, for your own sake, only put money into an employer sponsored retirement 401k403b457 that you are comfortable not seeing again until you are ready to retire. Life happens, nothing is certain and if you do have to tap into it sooner hopefully the money is available and reaches you quickly... but dont count on it!  <response>: Wise words, yep.This is why as the HR for my company, I very very carefully explain to my employees what the ins and outs are when they set up a retirement account. It definitely cuts down on the subsequent oddball requests. 