<prompt> Human: For this question, I imagine it relates mostly to young professionals. To make the math easy, lets say you owe 20k in debt credit cards, student loans, etc. and have roughly the same amount in a 401k or similar retirement account. Would it be a good idea to use the funds to pay off debt? I imagine if youre getting 3-6 return on a 401k, and are paying 17 interest on a credit card, it would be a good idea financially to pay off the credit card. Is there an amount where that wouldnt be the case? Am I looking at this wrong? Thanks for any info.  <response>: It always baffles me that people think of retirement accounts as though they were checking accounts. Think of your 401k as locked up in a water-proof chest at the bottom of the ocean. With a large octopus sitting on top of it.You will need every bit of it and its earnings to live on when you cant work any more, and that day will come much faster than you think.Ok, sorry, end of rant. Retired person here, seeing lots of very bewildered Boomers out there trying to live on SS when they have mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt. 