Ken and Daria Dolan, America's First Family of Personal Finance, answer your money questions every Friday.

Click here to ask Ken and Daria your question.

Here's a little trick when it comes to saving for retirement: every little bit helps. That's why we're thrilled when we hear about folks contributing any amount to their retirement plans because it all adds up over time to a very rich future! But we also want your investments to work hard for you, which means choosing the right savings vehicle.

When deciding between a traditional and Roth IRA account, there is one major rule of thumb to live by. Find out what it is in our video response below.

Dear Ken and Daria,

I've been told I should invest in a traditional IRA instead of a Roth IRA because of my low income. Which is the right choice for me?

-Jill

Confused about where to begin your retirement planning? Learn how to start saving for your future and get answers to all your questions about Roth IRA rules, rollovers and more at Dolans.com.

Retirement funds can be moved from one retirement account to another with no tax impact, so long as the taxpayer follows a few simple rules. One of the most important rules is that the funds must land in the new account within 60 days of being taken out of the old account.

Seems simple, right? Well believe it or not, plenty of taxpayers miss that deadline. Some of them are just careless, while others try to use the money for the 60 days, but run out of time and miss the deadline. If you miss the deadline, it's expensive because the Internal Revenue Service then treats the money as a distribution of retirement funds. If you're not yet retirement age, you'll pay regular income tax on the money plus a 10% penalty. Between federal and state taxes and penalties, taxpayers usually lose about 50% of their retirement funds if they do an early distribution.

The IRS used to be pretty forgiving, and allowed taxpayers exceptions to the 60 day rule. But word is that the IRS isn't going to be so forgiving anymore, and taxpayers shouldn't count on receiving the benefit of the doubt. The IRS rules regarding retirement accounts are meant to discourage early withdrawals from the accounts via painful penalties. The government thinks we need an incentive to keep our retirement funds intact, and they're probably right.

If you're moving your retirement funds from one account to another, the best way is to have the financial institution transfer the money directly to the new financial institution. Don't tempt fate by letting the money fall into your own hands. If you transfer the money directly, you don't risk the tax problems.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Reserve Solutions is marketing a new kind of debit card - one that lets you stop at the ATM and withdraw money from your 401(k). The withdrawals are treated as loans against your retirement account, and you must repay the funds to the plan with interest. Of course, it's being marketed as a convenient way to access your money in a time of need.

But this is the most horrible idea ever. 401(k) funds are meant to be saved for retirement, not frittered away when you're a little low on cash. This card is a disaster waiting to happen... with consumers having immediate access to funds... possibly without thinking it all the way through.

Even though the funds withdrawn will initially be treated as a loan, that loan can quickly turn into a "distribution" if the employee defaults on the loan or leaves the employer (and therefore the plan). And taking a distribution from your 401(k) before you're retirement age can have dire tax consequences. In addition to regular income taxes that may be owed on the withdrawal, there are federal and state penalties that often apply. People typically end up losing about 50% of their money to the taxes and penalties.

If you need money and you have a 401(k), the first step is to stop contributing to that plan and use the money that would have gone into the plan for your current needs. The next step is to find cash anywhere but the retirement plan. Withdrawing from the 401(k) should be an absolute last resort, and should only be done in the direst of circumstances.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

Stephen David and his wife Linda sold a business and had $1 million from the sale to carry them through retirement and pay for college for their youngest child. They put their $1 million plus $500,000 of savings to work with investment broker Charles Moni, hoping to get about $150,000 a year out of their account. That would have meant they needed a 10% a year return on their money, yet they wanted to be conservative in their investments.

The investment account started losing money right away, and the Davises complained to the broker, who told them they'd regain their value. They took $625,000 out of their account and put it in a savings account for safekeeping. The broker put the remaining money in one stock: Rigel Pharmaceuticals.

In one day, the couple lost $450,000 in this stock. The couple has sued the broker, claiming that he put them in bad investments and traded excessively to net himself almost $200,000 in fees. Their losses total $680,000 plus the money they would have made on that balance if they had it to invest.