Rob Townend spent much of his career in New York corporate finance, helping companies prepare for major financial transitions. Then COVID brought an unexpected transition of his own.

With his family temporarily living near his parents in North Carolina, Rob experienced something his demanding career hadn’t allowed much of: unhurried time together. Returning to his former working life became increasingly difficult to imagine.

As a CPA, he began researching ways to access retirement savings early. His discovery of Section 72(t) eventually led him to establish Early Retirement Access, helping Americans navigate a complicated set of tax rules.

Our conversation explores:

• What Rob began questioning about his corporate career

• The family experiences that changed his priorities

• Why leaving work involved more than financial calculations

• How our upbringing influences our attitudes toward money

• The challenge of spending savings we’ve worked decades to accumulate

• How retirement expenses and priorities may change with age

• What Section 72(t) and SEPP arrangements can offer eligible Americans

• The financial consequences of getting early-withdrawal rules wrong

• Balancing financial help for family with our own retirement needs

• How Rob now finds purpose, family time and a more satisfying balance

We also talk about the value of reviewing financial plans without treating a budget as a punishment. Rob even shares the story of a special restaurant fund that allowed him and his wife to enjoy experiences they might otherwise have passed up.

The discussion provides general information, not individualized financial advice. Retirement and tax rules differ by country.

Listen below and then share this episode!

Like many Americans, I spent decades building my retirement savings inside a company 401(k)s. By my early 50s, I had a successful corporate career, but I was ready for a change. I wanted to leave corporate America, spend more time with my family, and perhaps build a business of my own.

The challenge was figuring out how to support that transition while most of my savings remained locked inside retirement accounts.

As a CPA, I discovered Section 72(t) of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows people to access money in certain retirement accounts before age 59½ without paying the usual 10% early-withdrawal penalty—provided they follow a complex set of IRS rules.

The strategy sounded ideal, but finding practical, affordable help was surprisingly difficult. Most of the available guidance was either highly technical or tied to wealth-management firms that wanted to charge an ongoing percentage of my assets. I did not need someone to manage my investments. I needed a knowledgeable specialist who could help me establish the plan correctly.

Unable to find that person, I spent the better part of a year studying the tax code, IRS guidance, private letter rulings, and other technical materials governing 72(t) distributions. I ultimately used that knowledge to navigate my own transition into early retirement.

That experience inspired me to create Early Retirement Access, where I now help people use their retirement savings to leave an unfulfilling career, start a business, care for family, or simply retire earlier than they thought possible.

I can explain Section 72(t) in plain English, discuss the opportunities and risks of accessing retirement funds early, and share the lessons I learned while moving from a successful corporate career to early retirement and entrepreneurship.