While we prepare to resume our worldly efforts as dutiful real estate agents and industry professionals, please remember to hit your IRA and 401(k) plans with contributions rather than deductions. Come tax time, most people think "deductions." But when it comes to your IRA or other retirement accounts, taking deductions might be synonymously compared with napalm.

Maybe I should state more clearly the objective of this post:

Don’t borrow from your IRA or 401(k) plans as it may be hazardous to your (financial) health.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/RetirementandWills/InvestForRetirement/WorkersStepUpRaidsOn401ks.aspx

"Some workers raid their 401(k)s without fully understanding the consequences. Joanna Bare, 40, of Bethesda, Md., took a $35,000 loan from her 401(k) in 2005 to cover a huge tax bill resulting from the sale of stock she had held since she was a child. But she hadn't realized she would need to repay the loan with after-tax dollars even though the 401(k) account was funded with pretax savings, meaning the loan repayments would take a bigger bite out of her paychecks than she had anticipated."