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Suggestion to Trump: allow tax-free 401(k)/IRA withdrawals by married couples to spend on their first house


               
2026 Jan 8, 1:28pm   584 views  62 comments

by Patrick   follow (59)  

This would directly benefit me and my wife, but it would also help young couples who want to start a family.

Why trap their money to be fully taxed on withdrawal at age 60 or so when they really need it when young to buy their first house?

Buying a house is also a kind of retirement savings.

Make it limited to direct payment on principal of a house, and make it so that selling that house would require that they put the principal in another house, or back in the 401(k)/IRA.

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58   RWSGFY   2026 Jan 12, 10:57am  

Eric_Holder says

mell says


FortWayneHatesRealtors says




RWSGFY says




The less options people get to fuck with their retirement plans the better off they will be when that retirement finally comes.


Yep, seems like every option suggested always comes to throwing more money at the industry to absorb.




So what? This is the socialism you all so despise. Suddenly it's a good thing just because of the lowest common denominator? There should be an option to take the money out at the minimum without penalties. I thought people here are against taxes, and the penalty is simply an enrichment scheme for the government to keep the ponzi going. Trump should go further and allow it for any/most reasons



What exactly is socialism here? In socialist countries you don't even have any kind of private retirement savings accounts - your taxes are taken from your salary and you get your pension when you reach the pension age. Have words lost all meaning?


LOL, in a socialist country Patrick would still be going to work every day instead of agonizing over whether or not it was a mistake to contribute to 401k so much.
59   mell   2026 Jan 12, 11:45am  

Eric_Holder says


mell says


FortWayneHatesRealtors says


RWSGFY says


The less options people get to fuck with their retirement plans the better off they will be when that retirement finally comes.


Yep, seems like every option suggested always comes to throwing more money at the industry to absorb.


So what? This is the socialism you all so despise. Suddenly it's a good thing just because of the lowest common denominator? There should be an option to take the money out at the minimum without penalties. I thought people here are against taxes, and the penalty is simply an enrichment scheme for the government to keep the ponzi going. Trump should go further and allow it for any/most reasons



What exactly is socialism here? In socialist countries you don't even have any kind of private retirement savings accounts - your taxes are taken from your salary and you get your pension when you reach the pension age. Have words lost all meaning?


Taking 10% penalty is socialism. Nothing more or less. Not different than taxing one energy form over another or a wealth tax. Btw. most social democratic countries in Europe have a similar system, you get a pension, e.g. ruerup pension or privatrente in Germany. And I would favor a temporary wealth tax (e.g. to balance budget) on billionaires anytime over penalizing regular working Americans over every withdrawal.
60   WookieMan   2026 Jan 12, 11:47am  

Patrick says

Though actually, it's already legal to borrow $50K against your 401(k) if your plan administrator agrees to allow it.

Reduces your pay though. Those are paid back out of your checks automatically per pay period. It's not like you just get the $50k and "have to be responsible" and pay it back. The employer does. So less income, so less to borrow on the loan even with a larger down payment as it's essentially financed through your work.

401k loans are more for lowering debt (lower interest) or updating your existing home as you won't be taking on the additional home loan to buy the place. They're useful, just not for buying a house.
61   Eric_Holder   2026 Jan 13, 10:16am  

mell says


Eric_Holder says


mell says


FortWayneHatesRealtors says


RWSGFY says


The less options people get to fuck with their retirement plans the better off they will be when that retirement finally comes.


Yep, seems like every option suggested always comes to throwing more money at the industry to absorb.


So what? This is the socialism you all so despise. Suddenly it's a good thing just because of the lowest common denominator? There should be an option to take the money out at the minimum without penalties. I thought people here are against taxes, and the penalty is simply an enrichment scheme for the government to keep the ponzi going. Trump should go further and allow it for any/most reasons



What exactly is socialism here? In socialist countries you don't even have any kind of private retirement savings accounts - your taxes are taken from your salary and you get your pension when you reach the pension age. Have words lost all meaning?


Taking 10% penalty is socialism. Nothing more or less. Not different than taxing one energy form over another or a wealth tax. Btw. most social democratic countries in Europe have a similar system, you get a pension, e.g. ruerup pension or privatrente in Germany. And I would favor a temporary wealth tax (e.g. to balance budget) on billionaires anytime over penalizing regular working Americans over every withdrawal.



If there is no friction for withdrawal from your 401k it becomes just another account (albeit with deferred but shittier taxation) and the temptation to raid it just becomes too great. And you are definitely misusing the word "socialism" here. Under socialism the money you pay into pension fund is gone and you only getting some of it back when you reach the old age or become disabled. We do have the same in SS/Medicare, but we do have private tax-advantaged pension savings options too. (Slipping into the Captain Obvious domain here, LOL).
62   FortWayneHatesRealtors   2026 Jan 13, 10:33am  

mell says

CA is beautiful (can't beat nature plus climate, and wine) and had my work hard play hard decades there, but I have been trying to convince the rest of the immediate family to move. That being said, there aren't many states with low taxes, but have been eying NH. Savings would be tremendous and tax money not spent cannot be abused.


Thing is cheaper cost of living won’t stay that way. Even now it’s starting to even out. 4 years ago it was cheaper here, steadily climbing because of people moving with lots of money, and that drives up cost of living and it’s starting to become more like a blue state.

I think it’ll all even out in next 10. With distributed economy, and remote workers, you can’t have 100k houses and low cost utilities in one city but 1M and high cost utilities in another for long. It just evens out across the board.

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