Might be to late for some and not applicable to others, but maybe like us it could help someone. I retired early at age 54 & looked forward to the proceeds from my 401k at age 59 1/2. Didn't really need the income due to some really intense planning for retirement but thought I had to start drawing on the 401k. When I reached 59 & called Fidelity. The rep explained how much I would get each year for the 15 years the payout was in place for. WHOA!!! Did that mean at 74 1/2 my 401k would be depleated? YEP. At that point he said I could transfer & split my 401k into self directed & traditional IRA's. OK what is the advantage of that? I could improve the amount of money in each, tax free until drawn on. I could write checks, I could electronically transfer money. The tax free gain until drawn on made sense to me. At 70 1/2 the sad news that the government expected tax and the way they would get that was a MRD or Minamum Required Distribution. Good news Fidelity figures out the MRD, the government gets the right distribution amount. Mine going on 24 years now untouched except for the MRD. Meanwhile the account continues to build putting in more than what the MRD subtracts. My wife did the same with her 401k. Her's is untouched except for the MRD. Short version. If you have a 401k check to see if it will be totally depleted when you need it most. Look for options. disclaimer I am not promoting Fidelity