When you leave a job, it only seems natural to cut all your ties to your former employer as quickly as possible. For many people, that means taking money out of their old employer-sponsored retirement plan account. Simply taking the money and spending it leads to immediate taxation for all, plus a 10 percent penalty

Pensions are a distant memory for many of us. We all worry about the future of Social Security and the escalating cost of health care. Meanwhile, our life expectancies have increased, and we can look forward to a longer, healthier and more expensive old age. But Americans are practical. We adjust our lives to deal with changing