There may be a slight advantage to not withdrawing the money until later if you have that option. It is a question of tax rates at the time you withdraw the money, and the time value of the money. If you withdraw the money now, you pay taxes on it now, at whatever your current marginal tax rate is. Then, when you put it into a non-retirement account, interest, dividends, and capital gains on that money will be taxed at the appropriate rates each year. Capital gains are taxed at a lower rate than ordinary income, and dividends often are. If you leave it in the retirement account, the interest, dividends, and capital gains will accumulate over time, and you don't pay taxes on them as they accumulate - you defer paying taxes on the account balance until you actually withdraw the money. However, when you withdraw the money, you pay tax at ordinary income rates - not the preferential rates on capital gains and dividends - at your income tax rates at the time.
