Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine back issues from April 2006:
Loose Change, Bad Vibes.(From the Editor)(stocks of information technology services industry)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: FRED W. FRAILEY Say you come across a quarter on the sidewalk. You'd pick it up, right? Sure. There's no way to return it to its owner. But suppose that you do know where the money came from and that it's not a quarter, but $245.63? And to further complicate matters, ...
Letters.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
Apr 01, 2006 ... A tax preparer defends her proud profession. A reader suggests a retirement plan, while another thanks us for jump-starting his. And a reader tells how to follow the advice in The Little Book. NOT A BLOCK HEAD I don't know what makes Fred Frailey think that someone ...
Corrections.(Letters)(Correction Notice)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Suze Orman has informed us that she did not tell a school group in Colorado that parents should co-sign a credit-card application for their children ("Money-Smart Kids," March). Rather, she says the advice she gave then was that parents should consider adding their children to existing ...
A Bigger Slice of the Profits.(Ahead)(stock buybacks going strong)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: ANNE KATES SMITH What do ExxonMobil, Goldman Sachs, Harley-Davidson and IBM have in common? Each has a healthy appetite for its own stock. In fact, all of corporate America seems to be feasting. In 2005, U.S. companies announced a record $458 billion of stock buybacks on ...
WWW: Garden Harvest.(Ahead)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Do the words locally grown and farm fresh make you salivate? At www.localharvest.org, there is a nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets and food ...
Cell Numbers for Sale.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Protecting cell-phone users' privacy is high on Congress's agenda this year. Expect a new law to set stiff fines for data brokers who get cell-phone records from service providers under false pretenses, then sell them to private ...
Pass Test, Win Job.(Ahead)(psychiatric interviewing)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Employers are using psychological tests and new interviewing techniques to probe beyond a candidate's business aptitude and delve into his or her psyche. Bosses learn which skill sets or personality traits are needed for success--often by profiling their top achievers--and then look for a ...
Relax a Little.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Erik Hurst, professor of economics at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business, grades papers while watching TV. Do we really have more free time? Since 1965, there's been a six- to eight-hour weekly increase in leisure for the average worker age 21 to 65. That ...
Mold-Free Nation.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: PATRICIA MERTZ ESSWEIN Hurricane Katrina elevated the lowly mold spore to a prime pestilence. But you need not have your home submerged for two weeks to be attacked. All you need is a modern house designed and built to be more airtight without controlled ventilation ....
REITs, a Global Phenom.(Ahead)(real estate investment trusts)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Once tax and regulatory details are ironed out, Britain and Germany will become the newest markets for real estate investment trusts. By late this year or in 2007, they'll join Australia, France, Hong Kong and Japan among major countries that have recently authorized REITs. The first ...
Your Health Record Needs a Checkup.(Ahead)(Medical Information Bureau )(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: CHRISTOPHER GEARON Millions of us check credit reports to verify that lenders have our true financial histories. But when was the last time you reviewed your medical information? Some 500 life, health, disability and long-term-care insurers search the Medical Information ...
Brain Training.(video game to stimulate the brain)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: SEAN O'NEILL Grown-ups who aspire to turn back the clock on aging might enjoy--and be helped by--a video game. This month Nintendo launches Brain Age, a title aimed at people who don't care for standard shoot-'em-up fare. The brain game challenges you to solve puzzles, ...
What You Need to Know About Lawn Care.(Ahead)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Sean O'Neill 1. You may not need all those chemicals. Lawn-care providers rake in a lot of green for treating your lawn to get rid of weeds and pests. The typical homeowner spends $200 a year on such services. But as a rule, proper irrigation and mowing will fortify your ...
Guide to a High Energy Retirement.(Ahead)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Byline: Jeffrey R. Kosnett To say Adele Grunberg lives a rich life is an understatement. In the last decade, she's been to Africa three times and visited Nepal and New Zealand, as well as several Latin American countries. At home in Oakland, Cal., she mentors troubled young ...
The Sun Finally Rises.(Ahead)(Column)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Byline: James K. Glassman After more false starts than a cranky 1975 Renault, the Japanese economy is at last firing on all cylinders--or on five of six, anyway. Japan is growing faster than any large industrialized economy besides the U.S. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index doubled ...
Mutual Fund News.(Investing)
Apr 01, 2006 ... NEWLY REOPENED: Merger fund (MERFX; 800-343-8959) invests in companies that are targets of already-announced takeovers. The low-risk fund helps diversify a portfolio. UP AND AWAY: Shareholders approve higher fees on eight TIAA-CREF funds after initially rejecting them last ...
NASD Fines Analyst for Conflict of Interest.(Investing)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006 ... CONFLICT CITED: NASD fines Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Charles "Brad" Hintz $200,000. He ...
Chicago Mercantile Exchange Launches Futures Contracts On Snowfall.(Investing)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006 ... FLAKY? The Chicago Mercantile Exchange launches futures contracts based on ...
Who Picks the Best Stocks.(Investing)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: David Landis Buying stocks on the say of a brokerage analyst is a bit like trusting the TV weatherman. He seems to know what he's talking about, and his forecasts are often on the money. But sometimes he is very, very wrong, and when he is, you're the one who gets ...
Big Energy's Enablers.(Investing)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Steven T. Goldberg ExxonMobil earned $36 billion in 2005--a single-year record for a publicly traded company. Its stock has performed admirably, returning 17% since the start of 2005. Yet Exxon's stock looks like a chump when stacked against the stock of companies that ...
A Case for Investing in Stuff.(Investing)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Katy Marquardt If you're a traditionalist, you might prefer a fund that buys shares of commodity producers. So you've assembled a well-balanced mix of investments, spread among stocks, bonds and money-market funds. But do you own any sugar? Cattle? Zinc? ...
Bounty to the North.(Investing)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: David Landis Canada is the second-largest country in the world in terms of area. It has enormous energy reserves and is the U.S.'s largest trading partner. Yet Canadian stocks are prone to fall through the cracks of most U.S. investors' portfolios. While it may have been ...
Why Yields Stay Low.(Investing)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Jeremy J. Siegel Energy prices soar, commodities hit all-time highs, gold climbs and governments (our own, in particular) churn out hundreds of billions of dollars of new debt. Yet long-term interest rates remain remarkably low. The ten-year U.S. Treasury bond yields ...
Solid Liquid Assets.(Investing)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Joshua Brockman Think of beverage giants Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola, and you mentally picture their products. Constellation Brands may make you think of your horoscope, but you probably won't think of anything in a bottle or a can. The company purposefully flies ...
Score One for the Machines.(Investing)(Neil Hennessy)(portfolio management)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Ilana Polyak Call Neil Hennessy a mutual fund collector. No, not someone who buys any fund on a hot streak and ends up owning 20 or 30 (or more) funds. Hennessy buys entire funds from their management companies, slaps his name on them and installs his own numbers-based ...
Continental Drift.(Investing)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Byline: Thomas M. Anderson You may have heard of the tendency of some funds to stray beyond their supposed boundaries--for example, value funds that buy growth stocks and big-company funds that invest in small companies. Nowadays, many domestic stock funds are playing a ...
Riding Out a Slump.(Investing)(Bill Nygren of Oakmark Select fund)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Steve Savage and Jeremy DeGroot Bill Nygren, manager of Oakmark Select fund, is a true superstar in the mutual fund constellation. Through 2005, his annualized return since launching the fund more than nine years ago was 19%, versus 8% for Standard & Poor's 500-stock ...
Rocky Mountain Highs.(Investing)(views of Barbara Walchli of Aquila Rocky Mountain Equity on some emerging companies in the area)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Katy Marquardt Because of a population boom during the past 15 years, an eight-state expanse stretching from New Mexico to Montana has become "an incubator for many young, fast-growing, emerging companies," says Barbara Walchli. She should know. She runs Aquila Rocky ...
A Dangerous IPO Ride.(Investing)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON Some piggyback rides can be dangerous. Not the kind you give your kids, but the kind you take when you borrow money to invest in a new stock offering and then share the profits with the lender. The practice is legal with some stock buys, but it's ...
What Price Denim?(Investing)(True Religion)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Steven T. Goldberg Investing in search-engine operators? Cancer researchers? Explorers on the hunt for huge oil deposits? There are easier ways to make money in stocks--by investing in a company that can persuade customers to fork over $150, $250, $350 or more for a pair ...
Sizzling Sectors.(Investing)(for stocks)(Brief Article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: JEFFREY R. KOSNETT A year ago, we suggested five sectors and 12 stocks within them that looked especially attractive ("Best Plays in Today's Market," April 2005). The dozen gained 22% on average, dwarfing the 5% rise in Standard & Poor's 500-stock index. The ...
Rankings: Top-Performing Stock Mutual funds--One Year.(Investing)
Apr 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 ...
Doing It All On Your Own.(Your Money)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Byline: Jane Bennett Clark Seeing your teenager pull out of the driveway for the first time might make you shudder. But it seemed like a miracle to Katherine Engel. A single parent since 2003, the 43-year-old Tucson, Ariz., woman spent several hectic years playing chauffeur to ...
Cut Your 2005 Tax Bill.(Your Money)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Byline: Mary Beth Franklin This year's Form 1040 may look as familiar as an old board game, but be aware that some of the rules have changed. As you prepare your 2005 tax return, you'll see new relief for hurricane victims and aid donors, but tougher documentation rules if you ...
Speaking Made Easy.(Your Money)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Marty Nemko Giving a talk, even if it's just a three-minute report, is a key moment in your career. It can catapult you from just another employee to a star. I've given hundreds of successful speeches, read extensively on the art of public speaking and helped many ...
Beyond Burgers.(Your Money)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Vickie Elmer Your kids want to jump into the labor pool this summer to earn a few extra bucks. You want them to find a job so they won't spend the summer on the couch. Both are admirable goals, but neither is necessarily the prime reason for working, says Theresa Kane, ...
Estate Planning Lite.(Your Money)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER It's like doing your taxes with a Form 1040EZ. You decide who should inherit your financial assets. Then you contact your bank, brokerage or mutual fund company and request a form. Fill in your name, address, social security number and the beneficiary's ...
Credit Cards.(Your Money)(Chase Home Improvement Rewards Visa card)(Brief article)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER Longer, warmer days mean it's time to tackle the to-do list you compiled during the winter. And now you can make those treks to the hardware, paint and plant stores pay off. With the new Chase Home Improvement Rewards Visa card (800-247-3923; ...
Future Tuition at Today's Prices.(Your Money)(prepaid tuition programs)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford Once the ugly duckling among college-savings accounts, prepaid-tuition plans grew up to be surprisingly attractive. During the 1990s bull market, stock investments delivered more glamorous returns than prepaid plans, which merely promised to pay for ...
No Takeoff for Delta Stock.(Your Money)(Delta Air Lines Inc.)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford I was under the impression that Delta Air Lines stock would become worthless when the company came out of bankruptcy and issued new shares. Then I spoke to someone who bought Delta shares before the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, thinking the ...
Fabulous Photos In a Snap.(Rewards)(Buyers guide)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Jeff Bertolucci The latest digital cameras squeeze features once available only on top-of-the-line cameras into remarkably compact and reasonably priced packages. With a camera that costs $450 or less, you can get high-resolution images good for crisp 8x10s, first-rate ...
Architect in a Box.(Rewards)(use of drawing software for home design)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Amy Esbenshade Hebert If you're looking to build your dream house--or planning to add on or remodel--software that helps you design the project on your PC may sound like a fun way to streamline the process. But using home-design software is more like getting seriously ...
More Choices in Custom Vacations.(Rewards)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Sean O'Neill New competition is making the hottest product in leisure travel--custom vacation packages--sizzle. Although Web travel agencies such as Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity once dominated this field, many airlines, hotel chains and rental-car companies are ...
5 Things to Ask: Whiskey.(Rewards)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: ROBERT FRICK 1. How does U.S. whiskey measure up to Scotch whisky? Scotch whisky (note that it's spelled without an e) is made in Scotland of malted barley. While it has dominated the market in terms of quality and innovation, American whiskey makers have ...
Re-Lease for Less.(Rewards)(car leasing)
Apr 01, 2006; ... Byline: Mark K. Solheim Car buyers are naturally suspicious of leasing, and no wonder. You need a glossary to decipher the terminology and the patience of a land tortoise to understand how the deals work. And even mastering the vernacular may not do you much good. Dealers often ...
At Age 96, I'm Still Investing In stocks.(My Story)(investments in stock market)
Apr 01, 2006 ... Byline: AS TOLD TO FRED W. FRAILEY I have only a vague memory of the stock-market crash in 1929. I was just 20 then, and uninterested in stocks. Two years after the crash, I got my degree in English from Dartmouth. That was an awful time to look for work. For about five or six ...