Withdrawing from retirement account to eliminate CC debt

[calyx]

I'm just chiming in here to say, OP, that if this is the route that works the best for you and makes you feel the best, then go for it.
I withdrew from my retirement years ago to help with a debt.  I don't regret it for a minute.   I currently put a sizeable chunk towards retirement and I sleep OK at night.  You do what you think you need to do, and good luck.

[CreditInspired]

Hi OP and welcome

First, congrats on not burying your head in the sand and taking hold of the reins. You’ve acknowledged your problem and found a solution to keep your sanity and avoid drowning in debt.

Second, kudos to you for even having a retirement account at age 30. Many people in their 50s only have Social Security—no retirement account of any kind.

So I want to say, please don’t be embarrassed. Life happens and we learn from our mistakes. You are not an anomaly. So do what you have to do, need to do. You’re taking from your retirement account, not robbing a bank.

And, on another note. You are probably paying 18%+ APR and I can guarantee you’re not earning that on your retirement account. So, I learned years ago, you cannot save money if you owe money. So go ahead, get that monkey off your back, pay off your CC debt, and continue to contribute to your retirement account. And as someone else said, don’t run cards back up and maybe take out enough to pay toward the withdrawal penalty.

Finally, treat this as a lesson learned because we’ve all been there, done that, in one way or another.

Sleep peacefully in the decision you make. .