When we talk about entity structuring we are focusing on the proper use of legal entities to protect your assets. Creating the right structure for you is a correct and acceptable thing to do.

But if you engage in money structuring - well, you are headed for big trouble. The case of Eliot Spitzer has certainly taught us one thing: It is getting harder and harder to discretely pay for sensitive transactions. What caught the former governor of New York with his pants down were these new post 9-11 anti money laundering rules.

Deposits on withdrawals that total more than $10,000 within the same day automatically prompt a currency transaction report to the federal government. But if you slice up the transactions - say deposit $9,000 into different bank accounts - to avoid detection that is called money structuring, which is strictly illegal.

I know - it's hard to imagine. But take the case of a newlywed couple who received $40,000 in cash at their Greek wedding. Rather than deposit it all at once and wait in lines to provide the bank with a bunch of information, they deposited it over time in smaller amounts. The new Big Brother software caught them and soon they were being investigated by the IRS. After a great deal of money spent in attorney's fees they were eventually not charged.

But here's the lesson, if you know about the $10,000 requirement and attempt to avoid it, you have committed a crime. And let's be honest, thanks to Eliot Spitzer, we all know about the $10,000 requirement now.

There are still a few ways for untraceable transactions to occur, at least until the feds find a way to shut them down.

Eliot Spitzer would still be governor if he had used a prepaid or stored value card. You can buy an American Express gift card with cash at a retail store in amounts as high as $500. For now there is no limit on the number you can buy.

Of course, cash is still a good way to go. But remember, if you withdraw more than $10,000 in cash in one day a report is sent to the feds. And once again, if you slice up withdrawals to avoid detection - money structuring - you are breaking the law. The best way to get your cash out is in smaller and more frequent transactions.

But listen to what we are discussing: How to get your money out of your own bank account without breaking a draconian law. Will this ever end, or only get worse?