My favorite financial vehicle as a retirement planning strategist is a Max funded index universal life insurance contract structured correctly and funded properly.When you do that it can perform far superior to most IRA's and 401k's invested in the market. It allows you to accumulate your money totally tax-free, you can access that money tax-free, the income that you receive does not show up on your front page of 1040 tax return, and when you pass anything that is left in their blossoms and transfers income tax free to your loved ones.