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Use the IRS Wealth Machine: Tax Account Checklist

Set up the right tax-advantaged accounts to keep $250,000 more of your investment gains over a lifetime.

Based on: The IRS Built You A Wealth Machine. You're Not Using It. by Toby Mathis Esq | Tax Planning & Asset Protection

The IRS Built You A Wealth Machine. You're Not Using It.

Why You Need This Checklist

What if the biggest threat to your retirement wasn't a market crash, a bad stock pick, or even inflation — but simply using the wrong account? Most people are quietly losing hundreds of thousands of dollars not because they aren't saving, but because they're saving in the wrong place. That gap is silent, invisible, and entirely fixable.

Toby Mathis, tax attorney and founder of Anderson Business Advisors, has spent decades watching high-earning professionals — doctors, engineers, even teachers — arrive at retirement with a fraction of what they should have. Not because they didn't work hard. Not because they didn't save. But because nobody ever sat them down and explained that the IRS literally built a wealth machine into the tax code, and most people never turn it on.

Here's what that looks like in real numbers: the same $5,000 invested every year for 30 years at 10% can produce anywhere from roughly $500,000 to over $1 million depending on which account you put it in. Same investment. Same discipline. Completely different outcome. The difference is the account type — taxable brokerage, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or HSA — and understanding which one fits your situation right now.

Imagine heading into retirement knowing every dollar in your HSA covers medical expenses tax-free, your Roth compounds untouched, and your traditional IRA deductions were reinvested to work for you for three decades. That's not a fantasy. It's a system. And systems, as Toby points out, can be built by anyone willing to set them up and get out of their own way.

This checklist distills Toby's full framework into a clear, step-by-step action plan. You'll know exactly which accounts to open, in which order, based on your current tax bracket. You'll understand the 70/30 spending rule, the Rule of 72, why index funds beat professional money managers 90% of the time, and how to automate everything so willpower is never the variable. You'll also learn the one HSA trick most people miss that turns ordinary medical receipts into tax-free retirement income decades later.

This is the system Toby gives his clients at Anderson. Now it's yours. Use this checklist to open the right accounts, automate your contributions, and let time and compounding do the rest.

What's Inside — Preview

Every checklist item comes with actionable notes to guide you — things like "Don't forget to do this before you start," "Avoid this common mistake," or "Set a reminder for 30 days out." Nothing vague, just clear next steps.

DECIDE Determine your current federal tax bracket before choosing any account type
AVOID Avoid defaulting to a regular taxable brokerage or savings account as your primary investment vehicle
BUILD Open and fund a Health Savings Account (HSA) first if you are eligible
SAVE Save all out-of-pocket medical receipts in a dedicated folder starting today, even if you do not withdraw from your HSA yet
DECIDE If your tax rate is above 20%, prioritize a Traditional IRA or 401(k) and reinvest the tax savings

+ 17 more action items inside...

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