Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine back issues from January 2006:
Why Box Yourself In?(mutual fund style grid)(Editorial)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: FRED W. FRAILEY Let's place a historical marker on the chair where Morningstar's Don Phillips sat the day in 1992 when it occurred to him how to devise a mutual fund style grid. Before this, we classified most stock funds in one of three ways: aggressive growth (wild ...
Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Give the survivors a thumbs up, says one reader. Another recalls battles over his wife's 403(b). A reader overseas gets hung up over her credit report. And one reader says that when it comes to travel companies, trust but verify. AFTER KATRINA Hats off to Greg ...
Economy Stays in the Game.(Ahead)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: ANNE KATES SMITH Think of a boxer who takes wallop after wallop but won't stay down. That's the resilient U.S. economy. As we begin the 50th month of economic growth this new year, not too much has changed. You can expect 3% growth in 2006 to follow the 3.6% of 2005--an ...
WWW: Inside Medicare.(Ahead)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Confused about your rights? Get the latest expert news and views at www .medicarerights.org. Sign up for Dear Marci, a free weekly e-mail ...
A Telecom Truce.(acquisitions)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Act quickly to lock in two- and three-year contracts for telephone and Internet service. By early this year, the marriages of Verizon Communications and MCI, and SBC Communications and AT&T, will end the era of deeply ...
The Secrets of Feel-Good Shopping.(Ahead)(Interview)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Formerly vice-president of trend, design and product development at Target, Robyn Waters has a consulting firm and is author of The Trendmaster's Guide. What's in store for consumers this year? You'll see more commodities turned into luxuries. For example, Tea Forte makes tea ...
Tutors Around the Globe.(educational services)(Growing Stars)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: KATY MARQUARDT The global economy knows no age limit. Growing Stars, with offices in Fremont, Cal., and Kochi, India, can give kids one-on-one help in math and science for $20 an hour, less than half of what you'd pay a local tutor. Students communicate using headsets or ...
What's Up in Health Care.(Ahead)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Another year, another hike in medical costs. Benefits consulting firm Hewitt Associates says that employees will pay an average of $3,100 in 2006, including insurance premiums and out-of-pocket medical bills, up 12% from 2005. Increasingly, employers will also make patients more ...
Eco Building Hits the Mainstream.(Ahead)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: PAT MERTZ ESSWEIN In 2003, Glenn Moore lost his home in Austin, Tex., to a fire. When he rebuilt, he wanted to save energy--and money. His home, which Moore's architect describes as a "21st-century bungalow," features high-efficiency windows and HVAC system, a reflective ...
Keep the Change.(Ahead)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER As a nation, we're big spenders, not savers. So it figures that banks would invent a way for us to do both at once. Buy something using one of the new cards from American Express, Bank of America and a handful of other issuers, and the banks will stash a ...
Should I Buy Insurance that Pays Off My Mortgage?(Ahead)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006 ... FAQ | Should I buy INSURANCE that pays off my mortgage if I die or I'm disabled? No. It may be tempting if you are stretching to make the mortgage payment, but refrain. You'll pay less for term life ...
What You Need to Know About Holiday Gift Returns.(Ahead)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Byline: Vera Gibbons 1. The key to hassle-free returns? A receipt. You know the drill: Everything must be returned unused and in the original package, and you should have a receipt. Without it, you may get only a merchandise credit--and then only for the lowest price at which ...
Building Confidence in Your Investments.(Ahead)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Diane Randon has it made. A civilian comptroller for the Pentagon, she earns six figures, owns a house in Alexandria, Va., that's worth three times her $200,000 cost, and owes money only on the mortgage and a car loan. Diane, who is single and 41, is on track for a $90,000 annual pension ...
Two Cheers for Funds.(Ahead)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: James K. Glassman Fidelity Magellan, once the largest and most successful mutual fund in the world, has fallen on tough times. Over the five years to November 1, Magellan lost an annualized 3.4%. Total assets fell from $110 billion to $51 billion, and the fund was ...
Where to Put Your Money Now.(Ahead)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Jeffrey R. Kosnett, KATY MARQUARDT, DAVID LANDIS We thank Alan Greenspan for his steady, guiding hand all these years, but we have a bone to pick with him. We think Greenspan and his cohorts on the Federal Reserve Board deserve the lion's share of the blame for the stock ...
What's Your House Worth?(Ahead)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Patricia Mertz Esswein At last, sanity is returning to the housing market. Appreciation is still strong-- in fact, median U.S. home prices in 2005 will surpass 2004's gain. But forecasters expect the pace to moderate in 2006, closer to the historical average of 4% to 6% ....
Protect Yourself from a Lousy Deal.(home inspection)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Byline: ELIZABETH RAZZI Home buyers venturing into the market this year may be surprised to discover something strange and unfamiliar: their backbones. As outrageously strong sellers' markets slow in many parts of the country, the balance of power between buyers and sellers is ...
The Year's Most Enriching Reads.(Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger)(The Future for Investors)(The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century)(What Goes Up: The Uncensored History of Modern Wall Street as Told by the Bankers, Brokers, CEOs and Scoundrels Who Made It Happen )(Book Review)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Steven T. Goldberg The past year was a mediocre one for investors, but a good one for books on investing. The four books reviewed here offer something for everyone: proof of value investing's worth, wisdom from a market guru, an assessment of globalization and a ...
Tax Reform? Dream On.(Investing)(Column)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Knight Kiplinger There are a lot of tasks I'd rather do myself than pay someone to do for me, but preparing my tax return isn't one of them. I'm among the estimated 60% of taxpayers who use a professional. It's not that the return my wife and I file is complex--no exotic ...
Go for the Green.(Investing)(environmental friendly companies and their securities)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Katy Marquardt The managers of Winslow Green Growth fund prefer environmentally responsible companies. Among other things, say Matt Patsky (right) and Jack Robinson, green companies are far less likely to be fined or sued for fouling the air or the water. "It's an ...
Spamming Penny Stocks.(Investing)(TrimFast Group)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: DAN O'CONNELL The future looked amazingly bright for TrimFast Group, an Edgewater, N.J., company that said it supplied prepaid debit cards, long-distance phone cards and prepaid legal services. Or so one would have gathered from its publicity, much of which came in mass ...
A Better Way to Play Lotto.(Investing)(Column)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Andrew Feinberg Since I began writing this column, I've recommended only one stock. Sixteen months ago, I suggested that you buy JLG Industries at $14. JLG, a maker of aerial work platforms, currently sits at $38. That's a 174% gain, and I'll take it (I no longer own the ...
Munis Weather the Storm.(Investing)(municipal bond insurance)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Steven T. Goldberg We're broke." Words to make you cringe if you invest in municipal bonds and the speaker is the mayor of a city to which you have lent money. In this case, the speaker was Ray Nagin, mayor of hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. Fortunately for investors, ...
Stock Picks Shine.(Investing)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: JEFFREY R. KOSNETT Sometimes one stock can make or break you. As it turns out, one stock enabled our picks for 2005 to clock the market (see "8 Stocks to Own This Year," Jan. 2005). Valero Energy, a refiner, benefited from rising oil prices and saw its shares soar 129% ....
Trouble in Motor City.(Investing)(bonds news)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: J. ALEX TARQUINIO If what's good for General Motors is good for America, as one GM chairman suggested a half-century ago, then what's bad for GM can't be good for GM bondholders. Or can it? Steady selling has pushed up yields on some GM bonds as high as 12%. At about ...
Trend Spotter.(Investing)(FundX Upgrader)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: KATY MARQUARDT Sometimes being trendy is good for you. Consider FundX Upgrader, a fund based on the what-works-now strategy of Janet Brown's monthly NoLoad Fund*X newsletter. Brown's approach is simple: She rounds up top-performing funds, then cuts them loose when their ...
Rankings: Top-Performing Stock Mutual Funds--One Year.(Investing)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006 ... RANKINGS: Top-performing stock mutual funds--one year HOW TO USE THE TABLES: Diversified funds are categorized by the average market value of their holdings. Funds that invest in stocks of all sizes are included in the Midsize category. Investment Style describes the kinds of ...
Satisfaction Guaranteed.(Your Money)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Jane Bennett Clark Karen Love knew she had a problem the minute she picked up her car from the shop. In replacing a damaged door, the mechanic had knocked out the air-conditioning vent and dripped solvent on the steering wheel, dissolving the leather grip. "I went right ...
A Family-Friendly Vacation Home.(Your Money)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Thomas M. Anderson As the median price of a vacation home approaches the $200,000 mark, it's tempting to consider inviting family members or friends to help you swing a deal. Not only do you know and trust them, but you also wouldn't mind spending a week in their ...
Think Tax-Free.(Your Money)(Roth 401(k))
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Mary Beth Franklin You may have to wait a little longer to open a Roth 401(k), but the wait could be worthwhile. That's because employees with access to the new plan will have a new and attractive way to accumulate money that won't be taxed in retirement. ...
The Art of the Raise.(Your Money)(asking for a raise)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Marty Nemko Negotiating for a raise is scary. It's especially scary when employers are substituting technology for people, moving business offshore, downsizing their workforce and converting permanent jobs into project-length positions. You can't help wondering, If I ask ...
Free Money for Grad School.(Your Money)(Column)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Elizabeth Kountze At age 23, Elizabeth Kerr is a full-time PhD student in religious studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara--and she makes a decent living to boot. Thanks to two fellowships, she'll earn the equivalent of $42,000 this year, including the ...
Use It or Lose It? Don't Worry.(Your Money)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford Ididn't use all the money in my health-care flexible spending account by the end of the year and ended up forfeiting what was left in the account. Should I contribute less in 2006? --L.T., Milwaukee Not necessarily. About half of employers ...
Rx for Doctor Bills.(Your Money)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Ronaleen R. Roha Francois Bonaparte has gone through the seven circles of medical-bill hell. The 46-year-old resident of Gilroy, Cal., gets as many as six explanation-of-benefits statements a week from three different medical-insurance carriers. Bonaparte is battling ...
Credit Cards.(Your Money)(Brief Article)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER Want to know what it takes to get a tantalizingly low rate--such as Capital One's new Platinum Prestige MasterCard at 5.9%? Capital One won't tip its hand, but a spokeswoman did say that you need "a blemish-free credit report." According to Capital One's ...
In the iPOD Zone.(Rewards)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Sean O'Neill We fall into two camps when it comes to MP3 players--those mini machines with massive memories, best known by the standard bearer, Apple's iPod. While some of us consider them glorified Walkmen, others consider them the fifth lobe of our brains. ...
The Compleat Closet.(Rewards)
Jan 01, 2006; ... Byline: Jane Bennett Clark Clothes jammed onto the pole, shoes dumped on the floor, belts tangled on a shelf like a nest of snakes. Must your closet be such a mess? Not if Meryl Starr has anything to say about it. Starr, a professional organizer and the author of ...
The BMW Uber Machine.(Rewards)(Product/Service Evaluation)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Byline: Mark K. Solheim If you're in the market for a high-performance luxury sedan, you have a short list to pick from--especially if you limit the price tag to less than $100,000. The new Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG ($87,375) is on the list, and so is the Maserati Quattroporte ...
Restoring Really Old Houses has Built Up Our Net Worth.(My Story)
Jan 01, 2006 ... Byline: AS TOLD TO KIMBERLY LANKFORD John was down from New York visiting friends 20 years ago and fell in love with a stone house, built in the mid 1700s, in Gerrardstown, W.Va. He bought it for $19,000. The house had had only one coat of paint since the 18th century. It didn't ...