And as dmertz said, the tax and penalties are virtually the same whether you roll the 401(k) into Traditional IRA and then take distributions from the IRA or if you just leave the 401(k) and take distributions from that.
Some people prefer an IRA because of more feasibility in investment choices, but the tax treatment is almost identical except for minor differences in the exceptions to the penalty.
**Disclaimer: This post is for discussion purposes only and is NOT tax advice. The author takes no responsibility for the accuracy of any information in this post.**
