re: Late to the game: Investing in my late 20's

quote:

---

I suggest Vanguard. I got started with a Target Date fund. They have a lot of resources on there to teach you.

Start a Roth IRA, pick the Vangard Target Date Retirement fund (I think it costs $3,000 to open), then make monthly contributions up to the yearly limit (or however you want to do it.)

---

Slight thread hijack here...I have a target date fund with vanguard and did exactly as you mentioned. I have retirement accounts through work but I wanted to do a little extra so opened the VG fund and contribute monthly into it.

My question is, let's just say by some utter miracle I retire earlier than 60-whatever and want to essentially "cash out" prior to the target date I have set. Is that possible? I know it'll be decades before I actually have to worry about this but I'm just curious. and let's say it's not possible and it is totally locked in...what happens in the year that I set as my target date? Does it basically turn into like a checking account that I can take out of it as I please?