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3) Unmatched 401(k) 
We still like 401(k)s for your retirement savings even after you've maxed out on getting the employer match. The money that you contribute to the plan comes regularly out of your paycheck without your having to do anything at all, and you're getting that tax deduction by contributing pre-tax money.

However, the investment options in your 401(k) plan might not be that great. If you're staring at a bunch of underperforming managed mutual funds as your only 401(k) choices, you might want your money going to better accounts, like #5 below.

4) Regular IRA
If your income level is too high for you to start or continue contributing to a Roth IRA, you can nonetheless make a non-deductible contribution to a regular IRA. Again, like the Roth, the annual limit is $2,000. To complicate matters further, if you are single and your adjusted gross income is below $42,000, or married with an adjusted gross income below $62,000, you may qualify for a fully or partially tax deductible traditional IRA contribution. Check out all the details in All About IRAs: IRA Deduction Limitations.

Because the amounts accrue with the taxes deferred in a traditional IRA, you will have more money when you finally make the withdrawals than if you make the same investments in a taxable account -- paying taxes each year on any capital gains and dividends that accrue. Again, more details on IRAs are available at the links below.

5) Taxable Investments
After you've maxed out on the tax-advantaged vehicles at your disposal, only then should you put your retirement savings dollars into taxable accounts. However, if there are no index funds available in your 401(k) plan, then you might move taxable investments up higher on this list, ahead of your unmatched 401(k) offering.

6) Variable Annuities
Ack! These are basically a rip-off. We've gone off at length in other places and at other times about the loathsomeness of the vast majority of variable annuities for almost all investors. They have a small role to play in the savings plan of some very wealthy people in pretty limited circumstances. Variable annuities might make sense for holding a fixed-income asset like bonds or cash, but even then, only if you're holding for longer than a decade. And, as we've pointed out before, if you're holding that long -- you should be in stocks.