@Brian Mathews I have had a 401k for four years. I am 24 years old now. Four years ago, I was making $30,000 including overtime trying to survive in Fairfax, VA where the median income is just over $100,000 a year. A cheap, small, run down house costs $2,500 to rent. A one bed one bath apartment an hour and a half away from work (DC) that requires you to sit in the USAs #1 worst traffic, costs $1,500 easy. In four years I have worked my way up to about median income; just over $100,000 - keep in mind I work closer to 80 hours a week than 40 most of the time. You can bet I was not contributing hardly anything to my 401k for the first couple years, I was trying to survive with multiple roommates in places I did not like at all. I am finally at the point where I can rent a house, and I am. The best deal I could find in the area I want, was $2,300 a month. A 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath house. And I got a deal because the house is owned by a co-worker, I'm paying less than what he could be getting for it. Do I need the house? No. That is why I am giving it up. I will go back to an apartment. I will sell my cars, and anything else I don't need. Do I have credit card debt? Yeah, that I can now finally begin to pay off, because I no longer need them to buy groceries. I'm not married, I don't have roommates or anyone to split rent with, or utilities etc. I don't have much left at the end of each month to save. And what I do have goes straight to credit card payments and utilities. There is a little left to save, but not much. So I'm giving all that up, going back to smaller living places, and saving more money. Finally getting my head above the water and I want to use that money to make more money.
Taking that money out of the 401k would certainly help me. It would nearly pay off my entire credit card debt - or - it would be almost an entire down payment on a rental property in Raleigh, NC, which I visit frequently for family. This isn't something I would do right away. Maybe a year from now, after I've gotten more money together for a larger down payment, repair costs etc etc. It would help me jump start whatever I decide to do pretty well. And the way I see it, there are better things I could invest money in than a 401k. For example, currency trading. I don't have any large capital, but I can consistently produce a 3-4% per MONTH ROI, with ease. The problem there is, you need a lot of money to make money. That easily beats a 401k. And that is just one example. Being 24, who knows if that 401k will still be there in 40 something years when I can finally take it out.
All in all, it's not a big deal either way. It's a small amount of money that wont make a big difference in the long run as far as getting started in REI is involved. You all have great points and thank you all for the advice. I will likely just leave it unless, as suggested, a great opportunity comes and it would help.