CARES ACT retirement fund for real estate investing

[Trenton Petersen]

What would be the downside of taking out $100k from my 401k to invest in rentals using the BRRR method? Many of the books I've read discuss how a 401k is a risky investment because you don't have control of your own money.

[George Blower]

Assuming that you have been impacted by the virus in one of the enumerated ways and therefore qualify, you can take a penalty-free distribution (as well as waive the 20% withholding requirement) from your 401k (assuming that the employer allows it) anytime between 1/1/2020 and 12/31/2020. You may avoid the taxes if you deposit the funds in an eligible retirement plan (which includes an IRA) within "3 years and a day" of the date of the COVID-19 distribution (note: compare to a 60-day rollover). Please note that the account into which the funds are deposited must be the same type of account from which the funds were first withdrawn (e.g. withdrawal of pre-tax funds from a 401k could be deposited in a pre-tax IRA but not a Roth IRA - "like to like").