Your company retirement plan is not a piggy bank. Treating it like one has very expensive consequences.
"Borrowing from a retirement account has become more prevalent," Hottin says. "For someone out of work, it may be the only way to address some large expenses.
"My suggestion is always to exhaust other options prior to going into your 401(k), because it's so expensive to do so. It could cost you as much as 40 cents on the dollar -- and that is money you never recover." That could occur if you borrow the money and then default on the loan, which results in a deemed distribution on which you would owe taxes and a penalty if you're under a certain age.
"Some things are legal but just not wise," Investor Solutions' Gordon says. "This is one of those things."