Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine back issues from March 2007:
Magic Formula Investing.(Editorial)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: FRED W. FRAILEY Great companies at discount prices--can you imagine a better recipe for investment success? I can't, which is why I called your attention a year ago to Joel Greenblatt's The Little Book That Beats the Market (Wiley, $20). Well, guess what? Since I wrote ...
Letters.(Letter to the editor)
Mar 01, 2007 ... A reader says there was no sizzle in a friend's hot tip. Another reader suggests a better way to handle a fender bender. The variable-annuity debate heats up. And a father talks about living every parent's worst nightmare. " Our 'friend'ate our steaks and shrimp. But when the ...
Incredible Shrinking Airlines.(Ahead)(Industry overview)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: ANNE KATES SMITH Now that airlines are over their post-9/11 struggles, they are looking for mergers to perpetuate a welcome run of profitability. This year, airline earnings are expected to be more than double last year's, thanks to full planes, fare hikes and lower fuel ...
www: Start-Up Smarts.(www.eVenturing.org)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... Starting a business? Hobnob with other entrepreneurs at www.eVenturing.org, run by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. You'll find ...
A Wide-Open Race.(presidential candidates)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... The list of presidential candidates is long and getting longer. Both parties are chock-full of hopefuls who see a president when they look in the mirror. History is replete with lightning striking at ...
The Wonders of Cash.(money market funds, Crane Data)(Interview)
Mar 01, 2007 ... Peter Crane co-founded Crane Data, a Westboro, Mass., publisher of news, commentary and performance measures of money-market funds and bank savings accounts. Where are cash returns headed? Five-percent yields on cash should last for the foreseeable future. It's increasingly ...
No Profit, Big Salary.(jobs in nonprofit organizations)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... For profitable employment, check the nonprofit sector. Johns Hopkins University researchers say nonprofit workers, including volunteers, represent 11% of the U.S. workforce. Total nonprofit wages exceed the total in both the utility and the construction industries, and they come close to ...
As a Job Reference, Tell the Whole Truth.(Brief article)(Column)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Knight Kiplinger I was recently called by a human-resources manager checking the references of an applicant who used to work for me. The person had been a poor performer and was "counseled out" of our firm. What's the most ethical way to respond? In these ...
Pension Protection.(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... Yes, they are insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Cash-balance pensions resemble 401(k)s in that you have an account that builds until you retire or leave the company. Usually, you're credited with a percentage of your pay each year and earn a fixed or variable interest rate ....
That Great Street.(State Street Corp. )(Company overview)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... It used to be a commercial bank, and the name suggests real estate, but State Street Corp. (symbol STT) is the glue for capital markets. It runs exchange-traded funds, it's custodian for pension funds and mutual funds, and it manages institutional money. State Street prospers from the ...
Sweeten the Sale With a Lower Rate.(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... Paying points to reduce the interest rate on your own mortgage is nothing new. But some anxious home sellers are offering to do the same for potential buyers. Lenders--mainly those affiliated with homebuilders or who work through real estate agents--are expanding temporary buydown ...
Should You Keep a Timeshare?(Ahead)
Mar 01, 2007 ... Terry Reilly, 71, made his living in the commodities markets. After retiring a few years ago, he was deep into day trading. But timeshares? That's a market he can't fathom. In 2003, Reilly and his wife, Arlene, paid $10,000 for one week a year at one of several resorts in the western U.S ....
Quick Facts.(consumer complaints)(stock exchanges)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... 12 PERCENT The increase in consumer complaints in November about airline service compared with November 2005. 7 PERCENT The price gain logged by the American Stock Exchange airline stock index in 2006, compared with a 9% loss in 2005. $977 BILLION The amount that ...
What You Need to Know About the AMT.(alternative minimum tax)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Vera Gibbons 1. Not making millions? All the more reason to worry! The alternative minimum tax, enacted nearly 40 years ago to ensure that wealthy taxpayers pay at least some federal income tax, is working its way down the income-bracket chain. Unless Congress makes ...
Put Your Faith in Ford?(Ford Motor Co.)(Financial report)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: James K. Glassman There are two ways to invest. You can join the stock market or try to beat it. Even for the smallest investor, joining has been made beautifully simple with the advent of index mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, both of which exact only tiny annual ...
A Dozen Ways to Play the Tech Revival.(Investing)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: David Landis It has been a wrenching decade for technology stocks. Investors still haven't forgotten the folly of the bubble that swelled to a peak in 2000 and deflated painfully over the next two years. Although operating earnings for tech companies have risen 90%, on ...
Master of the Turnaround.(Investing)
Mar 01, 2007 ... Byline: Manuel Schiffres Any baboon could do what I do," says David Williams in this interview. He's being far too modest. Very few humans have done what he has, which is to compile one of the most sterling investment records going. Since he took over the euphoniously named ...
Private Equity for the Rest of Us.(Investing)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Andrew Tanzer The world of private equity--securities of companies that are not listed on a public exchange--has essentially been off-limits to regular folks. Only the seriously rich or institutional investors, such as pension funds, can meet the terms of the standard ...
Fattening Your Wealth with Slender Fare.(Investing)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Anne Kates Smith This nation is turning into Fat City. The percentage of overweight or obese adults in the U.S. has expanded from 45% in 1990 to 60% in 2004, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As you fight to shed those extra pounds, consider other ...
How to Bet Against the Greenback.(Investing)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON Long synonymous with American might, the dollar today looks about as sturdy as a toothpick. It fell 4% last year against a basket of foreign currencies and a whopping 11% versus the euro. Thanks to big budget and trade deficits, a slowing economy and ...
Pressure China, Pay the Price.(Investing)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Jeremy J. Siegel Uncle sam's top economic officials, including Fed chief Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, recently sat down with their Chinese counterparts for the first of a series of meetings to encourage "fair trade." This is a euphemism for, among ...
An Offbeat Way to Bet On Blue Chips.(Investing)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON Most market seers, including Kiplinger's, predict that shares of large-company stocks will seize the spotlight this year from small-company shares, which have hogged the limelight since 2000. If you agree, you may want to consider an unusual ...
Growth Picks Beat the Market.(Investing)
Mar 01, 2007 ... Byline: DAVID LANDIS A year ago we thought large-company growth stocks were poised to make their long-awaited comeback ("Stocks for the Times," March 2006). Overall, shares of big growth companies trailed the market last year, but our seven picks performed admirably. They rose ...
Funds Made for Your IRA.(individual retirement accounts)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Russel Kinnel Tax season is upon us, so let's talk about picking a mutual fund for your IRA. Your search begins with your investment plan. Review it annually to see if you lack a sector or need to beef up an asset class. As you begin to narrow the field with fundamental ...
The Kiplinger 25.(T. Rowe Price Real Estate)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... With a 34% return, T. Rowe Price Real Estate landed in the top 25% of property funds over the past year. David Lee, who has run the fund since 1997, invests exclusively in real estate investment trusts. Over the past year, Lee favored faster-growing REITs over high-yielders. Among his ...
A Latte of Sound Advice.(Finding the Next Starbucks: How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow)(Book review)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: ROBERT FRICK Finding the Next Starbucks is like a triple-shot grande Frappuccino with whipped cream--which is to say this book is big, rich and packs a jolt of high-test investment advice. Too bad it starts like Folgers. Now, Folgers is good coffee, but it's ...
Stealthy Stock Picker.(Communique)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: ELIZABETH ODY If "Oxford Club" rings a bell, it's probably because you've seen the outlandish ads that tout Oxford's ability to identify stocks that can triple within a year. Further investigation reveals the club's inane marketing gimmick: Join a secretive society that ...
Rankings: Top-Performing Stock Mutual Funds--One Year.(Investing)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007 ... 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 ...
Yes, You Can Make a Million.(Your Money)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: JESSICA ANDERSON, THOMAS M. ANDERSON, MARY BETH FRANKLIN AND KIMBERLY LANKFORD Maybe a million bucks isn't what it used to be (there are nine million households worth seven digits in the U.S. today). But by the same token, making a million is a more-attainable goal than ...
The Buyer's Advantage.(housing real estate)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Patricia Mertz Esswein, CHRISTINE M. VARNER, ELIZABETH ODY, JESSICA ANDERSON As spring arrives, home sellers and buyers are dredging up tools and tactics that have lain dormant ever since the housing boom shifted the balance of power to the sellers' side. Now, with lots ...
The Future of Health Care.(Your Money)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the first governor to propose sweeping health-care reforms in his state this year. But he won't be the last, predicts Mark McClellan. McClellan is former head of the Food and Drug Administration and of the ...
Finance Lessons for Home Schoolers.(Your Money)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Amy Esbenshade Hebert Once considered a fringe group, parents who home-school their children aren't such rarities anymore. Families looking for an alternative to schools with too few challenges or too many distractions, or for a way to tailor the curriculum to a child's ...
In You They Trust.(Your Money)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Steven T. Goldberg Being named a trustee by a friend or family member is an honor--but it may be one you could do without. The likelihood that you'll be asked to serve as a trustee is growing exponentially as trusts become ever more popular. Some people with ...
Saving with Sammy Rabbit.(Your Money)(Sam Renick)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Janet Bodnar Talk about a hard sell. Trying to persuade a group of 7-year-old children that saving money is fun ranks right up there with trying to make them believe that peas are a dessert food. Anyone who's ever had that problem should invite Sam Renick for ...
No Biz Like Home Biz.(Your Money)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford Like many stay-at-home moms, Michelle Alpern wanted to earn extra cash. She found that she had some time while her 4-year-old son attended preschool and her husband, an L.A. County firefighter, was at work. So she became a consultant for MemoryWorks, a ...
Score One for You.(Fair Isaac credit rating)(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER It's a perfect Catch-22: If your credit history is insufficient to get a FICO credit score, it's hard to qualify for a loan or a credit card. That's because many lenders use FICO scores to decide whether to offer you credit and to determine your interest ...
Ask Kim: Blackballed by Insurers.(Your Money)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford Iwas paying about $600 for homeowners insurance and filed two claims, one for a water leak and the second for hail damage to the roof. Then my insurance company dropped me. I finally found insurance, but now I'm paying $1,248 per year. How long after ...
Be Your Own Bank.(Prosper.com, on-line person to person lending )
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Jessica Anderson The online-auction culture strikes again. Prosper.com, a person-to-person lending organization, is aiming to be the eBay of personal loans. Say Mark wants to get a better return on his money than the 5.2% he'd earn on a three-year CD and ...
Credit Cards.(Brief article)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER Even if your credit card doesn't charge an annual fee, the sponsor has probably loaded it with nickel-and-dime charges that can add up. Card issuers took in $13 billion in fees last year, and that doesn't count $12 billion in late fees. You'll ...
Digital Cameras for Serious Shooters.(Buyers guide)
Mar 01, 2007 ... Byline: Jeff Bertolucci Now that point-and-shoot digital cameras are effortless and inexpensive, why do you still feel dissatisfied? Maybe it's because tiny and easy-to-use aren't everything. Maybe you yearn for the high-quality photographs that only a single-lens reflex camera ...
Finally, Your Real MPG.(miles per gallon)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Mark K. Solheim The car industry has kept a dirty little secret for years: The widely publicized Environmental Protection Agency fuel-economy ratings overstate the miles per gallon you're likely to get. Those of us who calculate our mileage at every fill-up knew the ...
The Beginning of the End of Tax Hell.(My Story)
Mar 01, 2007; ... Byline: Mary Beth Franklin and June and Ron Speltz Why did you owe tax on gains you never saw? I exercised incentive stock options at McLeodUSA, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where I still work. That triggered the AMT, which required us to prepay taxes on the paper gains and receive ...