It's often said that we spend far more time planning for our summer vacations that we do preparing for our multi-decade-long vacation (aka retirement). But savvy investors know that a little bit of retirement planning now can pay off big-time later.

Let's first look at why you shouldn't wait until the eleventh hour to make your Roth IRA contribution. Then we'll examine five high-quality stocks for you to consider for your Roth.

A few basics Roth IRAs are unique investment accounts that offer tax-free retirement income. You can buy stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds in a Roth IRA. If you qualify, you can contribute thousands of dollars to a Roth IRA every year for the rest of your working life.

Even if you fully contribute to your retirement plan at work (a huge high five if you do), you can still open and fund a Roth IRA. Also, if you think you might be in a higher tax bracket when you retire, a Roth may be right for you.

You still have a few months until the April tax-filing deadline to make your contribution for 2012, but plunking down money into your Roth early pays off. In fact, missing out on tax-free growth and several months of earnings compounded over the next 20 or 30 years can make a huge difference.

Supercharge your Roth Here are a few great companies to consider. All have enjoyed strong growth over the past several years and possess robust prospects in emerging economies or industries. If you owned these stocks in a Roth IRA, you would have enjoyed significant tax savings.

Source: Yahoo! Finance data as of Jan. 23, 2013. Tax savings compared to paying 15% long-term capital gains tax.

The world's largest liquor company by revenue, Diageo sees developing markets as a key driver for growth. The No. 1 international spirits company in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, Diageo receives one-third of its net sales from these markets -- up from 22% in 2005. These markets are expected to yield half of Diageo's net sales by 2015.