GuideStone — Are there penalties for withdrawing from my investment account? (2024)

FAQs

GuideStone — Are there penalties for withdrawing from my investment account? ›

GuideStone

There are no tax "penalties" for withdrawing money from an investment account. This is because investment accounts do not receive the same tax-sheltered treatment as retirement accounts like an IRA or a 403(b). There are also no age restrictions on when you can withdraw from your investment account.

You can make a 401(k) withdrawal at any age, but doing so before age 59½ could trigger a 10% early distribution tax, on top of ordinary income taxes. Some reasons for taking an early 401(k) distribution are penalty-free, such as a hardship withdrawal or if you leave your job.

Yes, you can pull money out of a brokerage account with a bank account transfer, a wire transfer, or by requesting a check. You can only withdraw cash, so if you want to withdraw more than your cash balance, you'll need to sell investments first.

Unlike an IRA or a 401(k), you can withdraw your money at any time, for any reason, with no tax or penalty from a brokerage account. How the returns from these accounts are taxed depends on how long you have held an asset when you choose to sell it.

The 4% rule limits annual withdrawals from your retirement accounts to 4% of the total balance in your first year of retirement. That means if you retire with $1 million saved, you'd take out $40,000. According to the rule, this amount is safe enough that you won't risk running out of money during a 30-year retirement.

Many investors open a brokerage account to start saving for retirement. However, the flexibility of this type of account means you can withdraw at any time and use the funds for shorter-term goals, too, such as a new house, wedding, or big remodeling project. Your brokerage account can help you with: Trading stocks.

Key Takeaways

The 4% rule says people should withdraw 4% of their retirement funds in the first year after retiring and take that dollar amount, adjusted for inflation, every year after. The rule seeks to establish a steady and safe income stream that will meet a retiree's current and future financial needs.

You may have a sufficiently large account balance, but most of that could be invested in securities or be in the process of settling. Before attempting a withdrawal from your investment account, you should always check to make sure you have enough available cash.

Capital gains taxes

Selling an investment after holding it less than a year results in a short-term capital gain, which is taxed at ordinary income rates. Selling an investment after holding it more than a year results in a long-term capital gain, which is taxed according to separate long-term capital gains tax rates.

Can you take money out of an investment fund? ›

Cashing out mutual funds from an IRA or other tax-advantaged retirement account could trigger income taxes and penalties, depending on whether it's a traditional or Roth account. Withdrawing money from investments to pay off debt also means missing out on future growth in those accounts.

Withdrawing early from your investments could make it more difficult to achieve your financial objectives. Although it's also relatively easy to withdraw from your tax-free saving account, there are some long-term consequences.

Cash doesn't grow in value; in fact, inflation erodes its purchasing power over time. Cashing out after the market tanks means that you bought high and are selling low—the world's worst investment strategy. Rather than cash out, consider rebalancing your holdings in downtimes.

The 4% Rule is intended to make your retirement savings last for 30 years or more. This rate of withdrawals means that most of the money used will be the interest and gains on investments, not principal, assuming a reasonably healthy market return.