While in graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley (2015 to 2019) the institution automatically took a very small sum from a subset of my paychecks and put it into a retirement account. My retirement account was/is through Fidelity. When I returned to Washington State in approximately October/November 2019, I looked up to see if Fidelity had in-person offices I could go to and ask some general questions about my account to. I found this location, however I did not immediately visit as I worked through most of my questions, such as how to change my address on the account, on my own.
After checking the online balance and withdrawal process, I decided it was time to come in and just ask if I could withdraw funds. I had not talked to a Fidelity financial advisor before and was uncertain as to if/how to withdraw funds. Remembering this location, I arrived a little after 11:00 a.m. this morning, Thursday 5 October 2023. Parking spaces were easy to navigate and the entrance easy to find. The interior was pristine and a friendly front desk worker, who I decided to term my financial advisor, greeted me.
I asked if it was possible to withdraw funds from my account, to which he walked me through an example of what it might look like/entail to withdraw funds in full or partial amount from the account. Since I did not have my account details with me, he used my ID to pull up the account. He was friendly and knowledgable.
The two big drawbacks I found out to withdrawing funds at my age (approximately 31 years old) were: 1) taxes, and 2) a 10% penalty for not being 59.5 years of age or older. This was very helpful information, as was the two general withdrawal options for a partial withdrawal: 1) a set withdrawal amount, or 2) a set in-your-pocket amount. My tiny little brain and I left with much to think about and I was happy to visit and get some guidance. read more