Protecting profits at tax time

-- That 401(k). It's at the bottom of the list, only because you've heard it so many times before. It's hard to beat the advantages of a decent 401(k), especially if your company is matching your tax-deductible contributions. To maximize its tax-saving properties (and if you're investing elsewhere in staid, low-tax products), fill it with the kinds of investments that you'd otherwise pay high taxes on: real estate and bond funds and aggressive, high turnover stock funds.