There is a legal way to take money out of a retirement account at 47 with no penalty, and almost nobody uses it.
Not because it is obscure. Because it is a commitment.
Substantially equal periodic payments, known to everyone who has ever read about early retirement as a 72(t), let you tap an IRA or a plan years before 59 and a half without the 10 percent additional tax.
The price is rigidity. You commit to a fixed schedule for years, and if you break it, the penalty comes back for every payment you ever took, with interest.
It is a powerful tool with a sharp edge. Here is how it actually works.