Mr. KEROUAC: Dean stood in front of him, oblivious to everything else in the world, with his head bowed, his hand socking in together, his whole body jumping on his heels and the sweat, and always sweat was pouring and splashing down his tormented neck to literally lie in a pool at his feet.

NPR: 'On the Road' at 50

When you are young and socking money away in a 401(k) or IRA, it can be easy to ignore the markets ups and downs.

FORBES: You Just Missed A Huge Bull Market

That backfired after left-leaning President Rafael Correa was elected in 2006 and the Ecuadorean courts seemed serious about socking Chevron with billions of dollars in damages.

FORBES: Chevron Says Ecuador Pollution Records Fabricated

The IRS also is keeping a close eye on contributions to make sure taxpayers aren't secretly socking away extra money in an attempt to rack up tax-free earnings.

WSJ: IRA Rules Get Trickier