Quote Quoting pinogrigio
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roll over 401k into IRA and maybe need to withdraw on it that my UI in not affected.
This has already been established.

However, if you're not 59-1/2, I don't know whether you can use your IRA to pay for certain things and avoid the 10% tax (not UI) penalty.

Personally, I'd get a good zero percent on purchases or balance transfer card and CHARGE everything that I could to avoid taking out my retirement and paying a penalty. It's BS that when you're down, you get kicked (the penalty), but those are the rules. I don't know if you can make COBRA payments with a credit card, but if you can't, then you can charge your groceries, utilities, gas, and whatnot to preserve your cash to make the COBRA payments. Then clean up the mess later when your situation improves, and if it doesn't, you can kiss the debt goodbye in a bankruptcy. Retirement money has protections in a bankruptcy, but cash in a bank account, not so much. Then if worse comes to worse, you'll still have your retirement money to try to jump start your life. When you really think it about it, the retirement money should be the LAST resort, not the first.