Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine back issues from December 2007:
Taking Our Good Name in Vain.(From the Editor)(Editorial)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: FRED W. FRAILEY Porter Stansberry will do anything to make a buck. His latest gambit is worth knowing about because it involves this magazine and something I wrote four years ago. Stansberry stirs a lot of pots, one of which is a newsletter, Porter Stansberry's ...
Letters.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Nothing we've published in the past 20 years stirred the passions of readers more than October's Green Issue. Most of you liked it, but those who did not let their feelings be known. Thanks to all who wrote. Here's a sampling of what you said. --Fred W. Frailey, Editor YANKEE ...
Is It Time to Buy Gold?(Ahead)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: ANNE KATES SMITH When you hear the term gold bug, chances are you imagine a doom-and-gloomer frantically warning of financial disaster. Think again, because recently the term might as well be a synonym for savvy investor. Gold has been on a long-term upswing, tripling in ...
www: Drastic Plastic.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Now you can charge your mortgage payment with a Visa, MasterCard or Discover card at www.CardIt.com. Unless you're in a one-time-only cash ...
They Love Our Buildings.(Ahead)(real estate market)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Foreign investors are fueling the U.S. commercial real estate market, attracted by the weak dollar and roughly a 10% rate of return. The global economic expansion has put money in a lot of ...
Buying Into Stock Buybacks.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... David Fried edits The Buyback Letter ($195 per year; 888-289-2225). The letter's model portfolio has returned 16% annualized since 1997, with less risk than the overall market. Why do buybacks work? The obvious reason is that when companies buy back their stock, they reduce the ...
Calling All Shoppers.(Ahead)(online shopping )(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: PATRICIA MERTZ ESSWEIN Love the convenience of online shopping and the immediacy of your cell phone? Mobile shopping combines the two. Sprint subscribers with Web access are in the vanguard with two new options: mShopper (free) lets you shop at more than 30 online ...
When Your Brother is a Real Deadbeat.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Knight Kiplinger My unmarried brother died recently at 28. Everyone in our family (which is fairly wealthy) knew he was irresponsible with money. Now we find that he left behind a lot of debts--including money owed to some close friends--with almost no assets to repay ...
Freeze ID Thieves.(Ahead)(credit freeze )(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER Almost ten million people a year wake up to the nightmare that someone has stolen their identity and wreaked havoc with their finances. A credit freeze is the best defense because it blocks access to your credit report and score, preventing anyone from ...
Earnings Remedy.(Ahead)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Walgreen Co., the ubiquitous drugstore chain with 6,000 stores in 48 states, shocked analysts with disappointing earnings for the fiscal quarter ended in August. Does the miss indicate decelerating profits from generics and crippling expenses? More likely, the high-traffic chain that ...
Shoppers: Stock Up On Toys for Next Year.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... If toys are on your shopping list this holiday season, do yourself a favor: Pick up some extras to stash away for birthday presents next year. That's because you'll likely pay 5% to 10% more for toys in 2008 as manufacturers and retailers pass on the costs of more-demanding safety checks ...
Network Your Way to Winning Stocks.(Ahead)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... First, there were investment clubs. Then came message boards, where anonymous posters could flog stock picks and pans, and later, Marketocracy, an outfit with a market-beating mutual fund based on individuals' picks. These days, a growing number of investors are taking a cue from the ...
Quick Facts.(Ahead)
Dec 01, 2007 ... THE VALUE OF GOLD HELD IN EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS is $18 billion--enough to fill a cube with sides measuring 11 feet. JEWELRY ACCOUNTS FOR 73% of gold demand; investment accounts for 14%; and industrial and dental uses, 13%. 630 STOCK BUYBACKS worth $369 billion have ...
What You Need to Know About Holiday Sales.(Ahead)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Mark K. Solheim 1. Retailers to consumers: Please, please shop. With home values falling, energy costs rising, credit tightening and consumers seemingly anything but confident, analysts are predicting the slowest holiday sales growth in five years. So despite an extra ...
How Much Energy Your Investments Need.(Ahead)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Jeffrey R. Kosnett Steve Sutton regularly rebalances his portfolio. Earlier this year, he cut his allocation to real estate stock funds by half after they had appreciated so much that they represented 10% of his combined IRA and 401(k) retirement portfolio. Steve, who ...
The Dangers of Selling Short.(Ahead)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: James K. Glassman The hardest thing to do in stock investing is to pick a loser. Think of how the odds are stacked against you. First, over the past 80 years, U.S. stocks have produced an average yearly return of a little more than 10%. Stocks make money ...
Super-Sized Investments.(Investing)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... SUPER-SIZE IT: Vanguard plans to launch three index funds that will invest in the largest U.S. companies, known as mega-caps. SUPER-SIZE II: Growth Fund of America, the nation's largest fund, passes the $200-billion mark. Despite ...
Morgan Stanley Fined for Lost E-Mail Claims.(Investing)
Dec 01, 2007 ... E-MAIL FLUB: Morgan Stanley is fined $12.5 million by regulators for ...
Online Broker Reduces Free Trades.(Investing)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... LESS FOR MORE: Online broker Zecco reduces its free trades per month from 40 to ...
Two Firsts for Exchange-Traded Funds.(Investing)
Dec 01, 2007 ... TWO FIRSTS: New exchange-traded funds that track ...
Health Stocks on the Mend.(Investing)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: David Landis Although rising health-care costs are taking a bigger bite out of employers' profits and workers' paychecks, health-care stocks have been languishing for years. Operating earnings for Standard & Poor's health-care sector have grown close to 12% annually over ...
The Hall of Shame.(Investing)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Jeffrey R. Kosnett The universe of 8,000 funds has $11.5 trillion of your money and a lot of talent. But it also has its share of misguided strategies, incompetence and greed. How about a real estate fund that barely turns a buck during one of the longest property booms ...
The ABCs of Munis.(Investing)(Municipal bonds)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Elizabeth Ody Attention, income investors: Are concerns about subprime mortgages, bond-market freeze-ups and recession making you tense? Your first inclination may be to move all of your bond money to Treasuries. But entrusting Uncle Sam with your cash isn't the only ...
Best Investing Reads of 2007.(Investing)(Book review)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: ROBERT FRICK Publishers release a crushing number of personal-finance books every year, most of which fall into the Taco Bell category. That is, Taco Bell uses the same few ingredients--meat, cheese, sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and shells--to make variations of its basic ...
The Wait is Over. Blue Chips are Back.(Investing)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Katy Marquardt Pssst. Here's a tip you should take if you don't want to leave money on the table: Get to know large companies. After spending most of this decade in the doghouse, the big guys are off and running. In the first 91/2 months of 2007, funds that invest in ...
Israel Gets a Big Boost.(Investing)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Thomas M. Anderson Never mind last year's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, incessant rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip and growing concern about the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran. The Israeli stock market is on a roll. Over the past five years to October 15, the Tel ...
Steady Income.(Investing)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: KATY MARQUARDT Anew breed of funds from Fidelity and Vanguard aim to alleviate one of retirees' biggest headaches: figuring out how to continue amassing a nest egg while generating a steady stream of monthly income. Fidelity's Income Replacement funds, which ...
What the Fed Can (and Can't) Do.(Investing)(United States Federal Reserve)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Jeremy J. Siegel When markets went bonkers over the summer, central banks around the world, led by our own Federal Reserve, came to the rescue. Government banks are indeed powerful institutions, but there are limits to what they can and cannot control. ...
Great Lone Ranger Funds.(Investing)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Russel Kinnel There's something special about single-fund shops--the good ones, anyway. I have to qualify that because you can find some of the craziest managers running one-fund outfits, hoping to fool enough people into handing their money to a guy with a wacky ...
Fund Rankings: Energy Darlings.(Investing)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: KATY MARQUARDT Finding bargains in a corner of the market that's on fire is no easy feat. Just ask John Dowd, manager of Fidelity Select Energy Service and Fidelity Select Natural Resources funds, both among the top-performing natural-resources funds over the past year ....
The Kiplinger 25.(Investing)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... We must bid farewell to Champlain Small Company, which shut its doors to new investors on October 15. We've come up with two worthy substitutes that focus on small, fast-growing companies: Baron Small Cap (symbol BSCFX) and Excelsior Small Cap (UMLCX). Cliff Greenberg has piloted the Baron ...
Peril in Crocs Infested Waters.(Investing)(Crocs Inc. footwear)(Company overview)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Robert Frick If ever something looked like a walking, breathing fad, it's Crocs. And by fad we mean both a fashion statement and an investment that's destined for a short and perhaps not-so-smooth ride. But given that the footwear maker keeps crushing analyst estimates ...
Should We Save or Pay Off Debt?(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD Do a little of both. Invest enough in your 401(k) plan to capture any employer match. That will give you a return of 50% to 100% plus the security of a savings stash. Next, pay off high-interest credit-card balances, which can give you a double-digit ...
Should I Buy My Teens Their Own Car Insurance?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Put them on your policy. The base rate is usually lower, and your multi-car or multi-policy discount can cut rates by another 15%. Your child can earn extra discounts for good grades or a driver-safety ...
Is It a Good Idea to Borrow from My 401(k)?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Nope, not even to pay off debt. If you leave--or lose--your job, you generally have to repay the loan immediately or pay taxes on the money plus a 10% penalty if you're under age 55 ....
Do I Have to Use My Social Security Number as ID?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... You have to give your number to your employer, your bank and the IRS. But when others request it, offer to give another identifier instead, such as your driver's license number, advises Beth ...
How Can I Reduce My Investment Risk?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON The best way to protect your stock investments is to own a broad mix of large and small companies and foreign and domestic issues. "Diversifying globally has the potential to both increase returns and lower risk," says Mark Gleason, a financial adviser ...
Should I Take a Pension or Lump Sum?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: MARY BETH FRANKLIN Traditional pensions provide a guaranteed stream of income you can't outlive. But Carol and Rick Shaw of Palm Harbor, Fla., wonder if it's possible to have too much of a good thing. Both of the Shaws are police officers, and each qualifies for a ...
I Have Lousy 401(K) Choices in My Plan.(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: MARY BETH FRANKLIN Jim Murphy's employer, a small computer-software company in Dallas, switched to a new 401(k) provider last year, and Murphy isn't happy. The new plan includes mutual funds with higher expenses and poorer performance records than the Vanguard funds he ...
Help! My Drug is No Longer Covered.(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON Every insurer has an appeals process. With the help of your doctor's office, you can ask your health plan to let you stay on your preferred medications and pay in-network prices. "Cancer docs fight this battle all the time," says Steven Findlay, ...
Will I Qualify for a Mortgage if I'm Self-Employed?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: ANNE KATES SMITH With today's tighter lending standards, you'll need great credit plus a substantial down payment. Otherwise, you'll need documents to verify every penny you claim you earn. And the process could take months instead of weeks, says mortgage ...
Should I Buy a Second Home Now?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON Desperation in the housing market can mean opportunity for you. In October, the National Association of Realtors reported that pending sales of previously owned homes had hit their lowest point since the data was first published in 2001. Moody's ...
How Can My Child Get a Scholarship?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Byline: JANE BENNETT CLARK Start early and expect to scramble. Private scholarships--money that is not controlled either by the government or the college--represent only 7% of the free money available to undergraduates, according to the Institute for Higher Education Policy, ...
I Don't Have Extra Money to Invest.(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON Sure, you do. It doesn't take much to seed a nest egg. Josh Goldbeck is a 24-year-old loan processor at US Bank who will earn $24,000 this year. But Goldbeck, who lives in Oshkosh, Wis., manages to contribute 2% of his pay to his 401(k) plan and ...
Can I Get Insurance if I'm Sick?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD Yes. If you're on your own, start by working with a health-insurance broker. Prices and rules vary enormously among insurers, so get price quotes at eHealthInsurance.com (or call 800-977-8860 if you need to explain a medical condition), or find a ...
Should I Buy or Cash in Savings Bonds?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD If you're thinking of buying a new savings bond, you would be better off putting your money in an online bank. "Online banks typically pay an interest rate that's 1.25 percentage points higher than savings bonds," says Christopher Cordaro, chief ...
How Can I Cut My Tax Bill in Retirement?(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: MARY BETH FRANKLIN Jim Marschall is fully retired and, at 66, about four years from being required to take distributions from his retirement accounts. The former manager with Rayovac, in Madison, Wis., has three-fourths of his investments in retirement accounts ....
Does It Make Sense to Pay Off My Mortgage Early?(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD That depends on your interest rate and your timing. Paying down a 6% mortgage is the equivalent of earning a 6% taxable return on your money. You should be able to beat that return by investing your money elsewhere, especially when investing for the ...
Should I Save for College or Retirement?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Retirement should always be your top priority. Start with your 401(k) and contribute at least as much as your company will match. Then scout out state 529 college-savings plans. If your state offers a tax ...
I've Maxed Out My 401(k). Now What?(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Contribute to a Roth IRA if you're eligible (your income doesn't exceed $114,000 if you're single or $166,000 if you're married). What if you earn too much? Consider ...
My Property Taxes are Too High.(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007 ... You typically have 60 to 90 days after you receive your notice to file an appeal based on a mistake or an inequity in the assessment. Check the math and the recorded dimensions of the house and land, and note any overlooked ...
Now or Never Tax Breaks.(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Mary Beth Franklin Sure, you're busy drawing up holiday gift lists for family and friends. But don't forget to give yourself a present: a lower tax bill next spring. Now's the time to make last-minute moves to trim your 2007 taxes. Beyond heeding the standard year-end ...
In Search of the Perfect Score.(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Jessica L. Anderson Shelley Cantrelle swore off credit after troublesome debt in her twenties resulted in bankruptcy. Cantrelle, 49, happily pursued a cash-only lifestyle for more than 20 years. Then, two years ago, curiosity got the better of her. On a whim, she checked ...
Act Soon on Part D.(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford Premiums for Medicare Part D will increase by an average of 14% in 2008, to $25 per month, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. That may sound steep, but it still understates the pocketbook pain that will be inflicted on many ...
Bargain Insurance.(Your Money)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD The federal government paid out about $23 billion in flood-insurance claims after Hurricane Katrina, and this year it was midwesterners who found themselves underwater. So you'd think that premiums for federal flood insurance would be going through the ...
Spoiling the Grandkids.(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Janet Bodnar When my children were younger, their grandparents in New York kept a scrapbook of their favorite comic strips to read aloud when the kids came to visit. Meanwhile, their Pittsburgh grandparents sent them copious clippings about the Steelers, the ...
Over-the-Top Bank Fees.(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Thomas M. Anderson Paying an overdraft fee on your checking account is like having your mouth washed out with soap: The bank says it's for your own good--but is it really? Just ask Ben Kohler, a 19-year-old Pizza Hut manager who's paying his way through school at Wright ...
Delete the IRS.(Your Money)(Internal Revenue Service)(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: MARY BETH FRANKLIN Nothing strikes fear in the hearts of U.S. taxpayers more than a letter from the IRS. But if you receive such a missive via e-mail, relax. No matter how authentic it looks, it's fake. "The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers through e-mail," ...
Ask Kim: I'm Loaded. Do I Need Stocks?(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007; ... Byline: Kimberly Lankford Iam 63, have been retired for three years and spend about $90,000 a year. I receive a total of $30,000 a year from Social Security and a company pension. In addition to the equity in my house, I have $2.4 million in a 401(k) plan invested in a ...
Credit Cards: When it Comes to Customer Service, Bigger is Not Better.(Your Money)
Dec 01, 2007 ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER The five largest Visa and MasterCard issuers--Bank of America, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank and HSBC--earned only fair marks (71 to 75 out of 100) when consumers were asked to rate their credit-card providers. Ratings were based on such criteria ...