And if we want to get really out in the weeds, there are ways to get money out of a retirement plan without penalty. Like taking a loan of up to 50% of the balance of your 401k (up to $50k), which you must pay back with interest, to yourself (including the interest), within 5 years. If you don't pay it back then it counts as a distribution and you start having to worry about taxes and penalties (if you're under 59.5).
Although it's probably fair to say that if you know a 401k self-loan is an option, you probably have $500 that's easier to get to.
And if we want to get really out in the weeds, there are ways to get money out of a retirement plan without penalty. Like taking a loan of up to 50% of the balance of your 401k (up to $50k), which you must pay back with interest, to yourself (including the interest), within 5 years. If you don't pay it back then it counts as a distribution and you start having to worry about taxes and penalties (if you're under 59.5).
Although it's probably fair to say that if you know a 401k self-loan is an option, you probably have $500 that's easier to get to.