There’s some pretty bad information in here. Yes, there is a five year waiting period to withdraw contributions from a Roth IRA, for instance. I see some people here getting that wrong, and that can be dangerous tax-wise. There are all kinds of other little rules, but the most important is that it’s fairly individual. Finding someone competent to help you understand what a solid strategy is for the long-term for your situation is probably worth the time. Clearly, there are lots of “professionals” who aren’t qualified at all. It’s just like finding a good contractor: it can be hard to do, but once you find one, they are worth it.