For a growing number of Americans, retirement accounts are doing double duty as savings accounts for the future and emergency funds for the here and now. Vanguard Group says that 2023 saw early withdrawals from a record 3.6 percent of the 5 million accounts it administers, up from 2.8 percent in 2022. Roben Farzad, host of NPR’s "Full Disclosure" podcast, joins John Yang to discuss.
A lot of what the person interviewed is saying is very tone deaf. Not everyone has the problem of not being “right sized” in how they live…a lot of folks are barely scraping by and have no other option but to tap into retirement to do things like…pay medical bills, not lose their dwelling, or simply make it through a hard time. Are there folks living above their means? Sure! But I would say the vast amount of people cashing in retirement funds early are not those people.
“Living beyond your means” is kind of an insidious term. It is true that if you can’t afford your food or rent you are living beyond your means, but the problem is that that phrase suggests it’s your own fault. There’s no consideration of the fact you might be working two jobs full time and still can’t afford a livable home.