I did gleam a little insight on the "hardship" rule for withdrawing funds in my research. Unfortunately they seem rather strict.

There is a maximum annual income limit (around 37000 if memory serves), above which you can't withdraw under hardship rules. This limit is the cap for how much can be withdrawn. (withdraw from LIRA until limit has been reached). Also you can withdraw for medical expenses but must be approved and validated by receipts.

As you might expect, using the hardship provisions is not even a consideration for my purposes, nor should it be. Those were created for emergency access to retirement funds when all other sources are exhausted. I simply want the right to manage my own funds and plan for my own future.

I can understand the point of having a locked-in retirement fund. But I still don't like being told what to do with my own money.

I know... first world problems.

Green

PS. Don't take my word for any of the above rules. This is how it was described to me briefly but it was obviously not the path I needed so it was quickly dismissed. Check it out yourself if you think you may need to take advantage of it.