Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine back issues from September 2007:
Your $12 Billion Burden.(From the Editor)(12b-1 fees)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: FRED W. FRAILEY You invest through mutual funds, right? Then let's see if you know the correct answers to the following questions: What's a 12b-1 fee? And how is it almost always used? Now, I know you are a smart, savvy person because only smart, savvy people ...
Letters.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Sep 01, 2007 ... A reader praises Honda's snappy two-seater. Readers dispute columnist Jeremy Siegel's reasons for the widening gap in income distribution. And we get welcome feedback from you on some difficult ethical issues. COOL COMFORT Your article on two-seater sports cars was ...
The Other Benefits Mess.(Ahead)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: ANNE KATES SMITH The pull of public service aside, the lure of government work often lies in the benefits--the guaranteed pension, generous health insurance and other perks that reward a lifetime of teaching, fighting fires or pushing paper at the county municipal ...
www: Memo to Go.(Ahead)(jott website)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Has your mental to-do list become unmanageable? Visit www.jott.com to set up an account that lets you leave voice mails to be transcribed ...
Bumped? More Bucks.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Uncle Sam wants airlines to fork over about $800 more than the $400 they must now pay to bumped passengers who can't get on another flight within two hours of their destination arrival time ....
Why Interest Rates are Headed Up.(Ahead)(Interview)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Thomas Atteberry is co-manager of FPA New Income fund. What's up--pardon the pun--with rates? There's been a tug of war going on between people who think the Federal Reserve is going to lower short-term rates and those who think the Fed is not. The arm-wrestling has gone back ...
Wear a Cyber Tie.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007 ... There's nothing low-stress about a job interview. But first-time contacts are definitely less intimidating when you can meet a prospective employer in cyberspace, where his or her online persona, or avatar, interviews yours. That's happening now in the virtual reality known as Second Life ....
Should I Replace Stolen Music Free?(Ahead)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Knight Kiplinger My car was stolen, and it contained several dozen CDs, the loss of which wasn't covered by my insurance. Because this music was already paid for, would it be legal--or ethical--to download the songs for free from a music-sharing Web site? ...
Mortgage Bank of Mom & Dad.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: PATRICIA MERTZ ESSWEIN Should we help out with the down payment on our son's first home? In formerly hot markets, especially where condos are rife, parents should think twice before forking over money to young and restless kids now that quick appreciation is ...
Household Overflow.(Ahead )(Public Storage)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Is there a person alive who doesn't own more stuff than they've got room for? Capitalize on the overflow with Public Storage, a real estate investment trust. Profit-taking has pushed the stock to bargain levels, says Zacks Investment Research. Earnings momentum could lift ...
High-End Cards With Snob Appeal.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER Airline miles? Cash rewards? Soooo 20th century. Elite credit-card holders hanker for elitist experiences--a gymnastics clinic with Olympic gold medalist Paul Hamm, for example, or a zero-gravity session with former astronaut Buzz Aldrin. At least that's ...
Relocating On the Boss's Dime.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Neal Levy's family lived the good life in Savannah, Ga., in a cottage on a barrier island where they enjoyed boating with friends. Then came Levy's promotion to district manager for a large pharmaceutical company, followed by a request that he move to Atlanta just as the Savannah housing ...
Quick Facts.(Ahead)
Sep 01, 2007 ... $1.5 TRILLION: The estimated long-term unfunded health-care costs for state- and local-government retirees. 82% vs. 26%: The percentage of public-sector employers that provide retiree medical coverage compared with large corporations. DURING THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF ...
What You Need to Know About Paying Bills Online.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Mark K. Solheim 1. Paper bills may cost you. Blue Cross of California is charging hundreds of thousands of its individual policyholders $2 a month to put their bills in the mail. Another California insurer, Health Net, bills policyholders who choose paper $5 a month ....
Getting Off On the Right Foot.(Ahead)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Jeffrey R. Kosnett Even if you don't count home equity, the U.S. is home to more than three million millionaires, a group that Abba Genes resolves to join by age 56, if not sooner. A 24-year-old New Yorker who attends college during the day and works nights and weekends ...
The Place to Be is Energy.(Ahead)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: James K. Glassman It probably comes as no surprise that the price of a share of stock in an oil company is closely tied to the price of a barrel of oil itself. For example, at the end of 1998, Occidental Petroleum (symbol OXY) traded at $6.47 a share, adjusted for ...
Winning Over and Over and Over.(Investing)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Katy Marquardt Bill Miller didn't become the nation's most famous mutual fund manager because he produced the biggest gains. Over the past decade and a half, hundreds of funds outpaced his Legg Mason Value fund. No, Miller came to fame because he beat the market 15 ...
Making Money Anywhere.(Investing)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Andrew Tanzer Investment legends like Peter Lynch, Warren Buffett and John Templeton are imaginative, instinctive types. When he ran Fidelity Magellan a generation ago, Lynch bought shares of everything from behemoths, such as Fannie Mae, to small local banks. Buffett ...
Best Online Brokers for Fund Investors.(Investing)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Katy Marquardt Rankings of online brokers typically focus on how well the brokers serve stock investors. But what about those of us who are interested only in mutual funds? That's a reasonable question. Consolidating your fund holdings with a single broker makes it a ...
And the Winners Are...(Investing)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Manuel Schiffres Call it irrational exuberance redux if you wish, but investors have plenty of reasons to pop the champagne corks. What economist Ed Yardeni and others call the greatest economic boom of all time provided fuel for stock markets around the world during the ...
A Trio of Funds for All Seasons.(Investing)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Russel Kinnel So, you're going to travel the Silk Road for ten years or hang out on a South Pacific island, and you need to get your portfolio in order before you go. If you could buy only three mutual funds, you'd want ones with enough stability that you could depend on ...
Terror Fighting Fund.(Investing)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Robert Frick It's hard to hear the name Roosevelt Anti-Terror Multi-Cap and not think gimmick. Yet the fund has performed terrifically during its 51/2 years of existence, and its name just might reflect the next big thing in socially motivated investing. In ...
The Kiplinger 25.(Investing)(Fidelity Floating Rate High Income)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007 ... 1-YR. RETURN After exhibiting remarkable stability for years, Fidelity Floating Rate High Income lost 0.9% in a month. The fund buys loans that banks make to low-rated firms. Interest rates reset regularly, insulating the loans from rising rates--but not from concerns about ...
The Best Way to Save for College.(Your Money)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Thomas M. Anderson and Jane Bennett Clark To hear the hype, you'd think that 529 savings accounts were the greatest invention since the GI Bill when it comes to covering college costs. The hype is mostly right. The state-sponsored plans provide shelter from ...
Kiplinger.com.(Your Money)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Find the best college values, plus essential info on ...
How to Shop for a Mortgage Today.(Your Money)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Patricia Mertz Esswein FAQ | Lenders grow more conservative after the housing bust. By Patricia Mertz Esswein The troubles in the subprime-mortgage market have led to tighter standards for all borrowers. Buyers and refinancers with sterling credit records ...
Budgets Made Simple.(Your Money)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON When tracking your spending, simplicity has its virtues. Software, such as Quicken and Microsoft Money, can gum up the works with unnecessary charts and forecasting tools. Now several free Web sites offer an easy way to keep tabs in one place on all ...
Keeping a Lid on Home Premiums.(Your Money)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford The homeowners-insurance business was a lot more tumultuous than the weather last year. Insurers were still reeling from more than $50 billion in claims from Hurricane Katrina and other big storms in 2005. Allstate dropped 26,000 customers in New York ...
Ask Kim: Cell Phone Screw-Up Solved.(Your Money)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford Although I live in Rhode Island, this month the taxes, surcharges and fees on my Sprint wireless bill increased due to myriad new charges from Vancouver, Wash.; Clark County, where Vancouver is located; and Washington State. Sprint's customer-service ...
Tough Love for College Frosh.(Your Money)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Janet Bodnar I recently received this plea from a desperate mother: Could you do a column on last-ditch advice for financially clueless college freshmen like my daughter? She's already spent the summer earnings she was supposed to use for spending money at school on $100 ...
Credit Cards: Don't Go Abroad Without Telling Your Card Issuer.(Your Money)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER It's good to notify your credit-card issuer of your vacation plans before you leave, especially if you're going abroad. While you're away, you're likely to make frequent charges. That bump in spending could trip the issuer's fraud-alert system, which ...
Best Midsize Sedans.(Rewards)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Mark K. Solheim STICKER PRICE/DEALER COST: $25,115/$23,273 NEW CAR BLUE BOOK VALUE: $24,371 RESALE VALUE (3 years/5 years): 52%/36% SERVICE COST (5 years): $3,294 INSURANCE COST (1 year): $1,533 MILES PER GALLON ...
Adventures in Medical Travel.(Rewards)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: Jessica L. Anderson Returning from vacation with a tummy tuck and a tan isn't unusual anymore. But a flat stomach and a face untouched by time aren't the only physical improvements people are seeking abroad. A growing number of patients head overseas for more-serious ...
Investing with Nickels and Dimes.(My Story)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007; ... Byline: David Benjamin and Earl Crawley How did you get started investing? Soon after I started working for Mercantile Bank in Baltimore 44 years ago, one of the bankers took me aside and told me I didn't have enough education to go very far at the bank. He suggested I invest in ...
Best U.S. and International Stock Funds.(Investing)(Brief article)
Sep 01, 2007 ... The biggest and best-performing funds are featured in these rankings. To be included, a U.S. stock fund must have a one-year record and usually at least $4.7 billion in assets. Foreign stock funds (see page 62) must usually have at least $1.7 billion in assets. Smaller funds are included ...