Early-retirement pitches

The scheme here is to persuade you to retire now, cash in your company pension, and hand over the money to a "financial adviser" who promises you an extravagant return. Some advisers even play up Section 72(t) of the Internal Revenue Code as a special loophole you can use to get your retirement money out sooner. True, you might be able to tap your retirement accounts without penalty before age 59½ by making withdrawals based on your life expectancy, but doing so can have serious drawbacks. Don't even consider it without first consulting a knowledgeable and independent adviser.

For help

Type "Section 72(t)" into the search box at www.irs.gov if you want to know more about how that provision of the tax law works.