• Learn which retirement accounts should be funded first and which last. Discover how to rank the available plans to get the most from your precious retirement savings. Choosing wisely among employer matching, Roth accounts, IRAs, and 401(k)s can be powerfully effective.



• Have you ever thought, "I can’t afford to make maximum contributions to my retirement plans?" Think again. The tax advantages of retirement accounts are so powerful that it often makes sense to use savings, loans, or "windfalls" to cover the contribution.



• What should you do if you get an inheritance? Don’t run out and buy a new car! Learn how you can "move" that money into the tax deferred environment and reap the long-term benefits of compounding interest and delayed taxes.



• When is a Roth IRA better than a traditional IRA? The answer is: frequently. Tax-free growth is one of the only things that beat tax-deferred growth. However, you need to evaluate the decision based on a real numbers not a gut reaction.

• During retirement, preserve your IRA. Learn about the minimum distribution rules and how to use them to maintain the largest balance possible in your IRA.



• Discover how you can slash taxes on your IRA withdrawals. One of the many tax-savvy strategies covered is to time some of your distributions to coincide with when your tax bracket is the lowest─a legitimate and strategic move that will save you taxes on your IRA distributions.



• Have you wondered what you should do with your 401(k) plan or other non-IRA plan? A trustee to trustee transfer (commonly called ‘a rollover’) to an IRA may be the best solution.



• Did you realize spending retirement assets in the correct order is critical for long term security? Knowing which funds to spend first is as important as knowing which funds to invest in first─just the opposite end of the spectrum.



• You don’t have to schedule your minimum required till the end of the year, but it would be better to schedule it earlier─you don’t want to get caught missing the deadline because the tax penalty is cruel.



• Curious about when and how to blend Roth IRA conversions into your retirement mix? A long-term strategy for a gradual conversion is our frequent recommendation, but it requires some planning.

• Taxpayers with less than $2 million and older wills and trusts should review their estate plans immediately. The higher Applicable Exclusion Amount could force your surviving spouse to have to appeal to a trustee for access to his or her money─the nastiest trap of all.



• Learn why your beneficiary designation must be filled out correctly to minimize taxes. A mistake can cause income taxes to be due on the entire IRA when you die.



• Get an inside look at Lange’s Cascading Beneficiary Plan^TM which offers the ultimate protection for your spouse, and preserves options for a "stretch IRA" for the benefit of your children and grandchildren. Not only will this make sense for you intuitively, but the advantages of Lange’s Cascading Beneficiary Plan^TM have been featured in Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Financial Planning, and The Tax Adviser (AICPA).

Are These 5 Common Retirement Planning Mistakes
Part of Your Plan?

1. Are you spending the money you should be saving and saving the money you should be spending?



2. Do you have an outdated traditional estate plan?



3. Are you missing a golden opportunity to make small annual Roth IRA conversions even if you are retired?



4. If you are still working, have you maximized your Roth IRA and the new Roth 401(k) contribution for you and your spouse?



5. Are you jeopardizing your family’s security by leaving your money in your former employer’s retirement plan?

• Discover how, when it comes to saving for retirement, living by the "don’t pay taxes now─pay taxes later" philosophy can be worth almost $2 million over a lifetime.



• Do you think you might have done "too little too late" to benefit from "paying taxes later"? It’s not true. See our mini case study comparing two 65 year old men; one who pays taxes now and another who pays taxes later.



• See the graphs and read the strategy for doubling that $2 million with matching contributions from your employer.



• If you are still working, there is a good chance that you may be allowed to invest more money in your retirement plan than you realize. This could save you $1000’s a year.



• Read about the 98 year old man who ended up with $1.2 million more in his estate by spending his after tax and retirement funds in the ideal order.



• See how Smart Dad Danny saves Junior $1 million in taxes by properly titling the IRA he inherits from his grandfather.



• Read another case study about Ida, who when she was 65, was on a path that would lead to her running out of money at age 86. With some smart planning she guaranteed herself a comfortable income that will last no matter how long she lives. Find out how she did it.



• Learn how a concerned parent of an irresponsible son used a creative technique to ensure his spend-thrift son’s long term financial security and protect the money from creditors.



• When Joe retires, discover how he uses NUA to save $80,000 in taxes.



• See the dramatic impact of giving gifts to children and grandchildren while you are still alive instead of saving it all until you die. Tom and Judy use gifting to save their family over $3 million.



• Tom and Judy opt for an untraditional estate plan. When Tom dies, because there isn’t the traditional B-trust, Judy saves over $3 million. Discover how different it would be with a traditional estate plan.



• Make smart, tax savvy choices at retirement and keep making the right moves over time.



• Avoid trust disasters and learn how you can use them safely and appropriately to ensure your family receives the maximum benefits from all your work.