IRS rule letting you tap pre-tax retirement accounts before 59½ without the 10% penalty — provided you take "substantially equal periodic payments" for 5 years or until age 59½, whichever is longer.
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Related terms
A 401(k) for self-employed people with no employees. Allows both employee and employer contributions, supports Roth, and often beats a SEP IRA for max contribution room.
The triple-tax-advantaged account: pre-tax contributions, tax-free growth, tax-free qualified withdrawals. FIRE folks treat it as a stealth retirement account.
Employer-sponsored retirement account. Contributions are pre-tax (traditional) or post-tax (Roth). Look for employer match — that's free money.
A deferred-comp retirement account for state/local government and some non-profit employees. Key feature: no 10% early-withdrawal penalty after separating from service — making it the FIRE hacker's secret weapon.
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