<prompt> Human: I just got a new job which offers a 401k matching option, but I plan to retire to become a stay-at-home mom after only about five more years of employment.Here are some facts about our financial situation:1. My husbands income is more stable and is reliable. More importantly, he loves his job. I dont. Im only working so we can pay off our mortgage more quickly to cut down on how much we pay the bank in interest.2. My new job pays about 125k a year. With that additional income we will only need about five more years to pay the house off.3. When the house is paid off well have zero debt and my husbands income will be more than enough to meet expenses and put away significant savings. If in the unlikely emergency scenario he lost his job, I have confidence I could resume working for whatever length of time is necessary for my husband to get another job.4. When I leave my job I want to withdraw the 401k balance and toss it into our mutual fund instead for the higher return, but Im worried about the fees associated with early 401k withdrawal. Or do those fees get waived if employment is severed?Yes, I know thats a lot of extra income to walk away from, but the work does not make me happy. Ive been in the business for seven years already, delaying motherhood in the process because I know I couldnt be an attentive mother with the kind of hours I put into this career. I know everyones different, but I want to be the kind of mother whos there for the kids when theyre growing up and I know Id be happier as a stay-at-home mom, so dont give me any flak about the stay-at-home mom thing, guys.TL;DR: Is investing in the 401k worth it if I plan to withdraw all funds upon severing employment in five years?  <response>: When you quit your job, you can move all your 401k money into a Rollover IRA account without paying penalties or taxes. As another poster mentioned, you could just leave it there as well and wait for retirement. Dont put it in a non-retirement or non-tax deferred fund and incur penalties. If your company is matching your contributions, it becomes very compelling. Make sure youre not leaving any money on the table as far as company contributions go. Whatever you contributed towards the 401k from your gross pay is yours and you can take that with you when you leave. Your companys contribution may require vesting, i.e. they may require you to work there for x amount of time before it becomes yours. It will depend on your company. You should be able to find this out easily. 