Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine back issues from January 2008:
Ric Edelman Is Outraged.(on mutual funds)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: FRED W. FRAILEY This just in: Ric Edelman has discovered that mutual funds have flaws! But you knew that already, didn't you? I mean, there are some rotten apples in the barrel, which is why we recommend a select few funds to readers, including the Kiplinger 25 (see our ...
Letters.(Letter to the editor)
Jan 01, 2008 ... A reader describes how his family used a mock auction to divvy up their father's possessions. Another reader issues a warning about the hidden costs of credit-card-debt relief. And a subscriber in Afghanistan takes good notes on green investing. No hard feelings. After my father ...
Exports Steer the Economy.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: ANNE KATES SMITH NO ONE IS GOING TO LOOK back on the latter months of 2007 and the first part of 2008 as a rollicking good time for the economy. It's going to be a rough couple of quarters, but don't despair: We think we'll escape recession and recover decently in the ...
Workers to Boss: Lesss Stress, Please.(Laura Sejen of Watson Wyatt Worldwide)(Interview)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Laura Sejen is global director of strategic rewards for human-resources consultant Watson Wyatt Worldwide. YOUR SURVEY SHOWS THAT EMPLOYERS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME KEEPING THEIR BEST PEOPLE. HOW COME? There's a disconnect between employers and employees. It's interesting that ...
Where are Stock Options for the Rest of Us?(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: KNIGHT KIPLINGER Q: My employer, a publicly traded company, has a very generous stock-option program for senior executives, but the program doesn't extend to middle managers and the rank-and-file. What do you think about this? Not much. To me, the ...
Take the Shortcut.(gas tax)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER CARPOOL MOMS, EXURBAN commuters and Sunday drivers, take note: You may soon pay more to drive, especially during rush hour. And a fuel-efficient car won't necessarily help. Several states are testing high-tech alternatives to the gas tax you ...
Surf in Private Soon.(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Federal regulators are mulling proposals from privacy advocates for a "do not track" law. It would largely bar businesses from tracking and selling data on cyber-shoppers' browsing habits without ...
The Election Effect.(influence of elections in the stock markets)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008 ... AS A VOTER IN 2008, YOU'VE got plenty to focus on as candidates tackle--or avoid--the tough issues. But as an investor, chances are you'll have the wind at your back. Turns out that election years have been good to investors. Of the 44 administrations since 1833 (dating back to Andrew ...
A Sigh of Relief.(motgage-payment adjustment)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: PATRICIA MERTZ ESSWEIN Two million homeowners face mortgage-payment shock by the end of 2008 as their interest rate adjusts for the first time. Many have made their payments faithfully so far, but the reset could tip some into default. Fortunately, lenders and companies ...
Profits Calling.(Financial report)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Avon Products is in the midst of a $500-million makeover, and stellar third-quarter earnings signal that it's starting to pay off. With 70% of sales and 80% of earnings coming from overseas, Avon is practically an ...
Whatever You Call It, It's a Mother.(United States Congress' new tax bill)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: KEVIN MCCORMALLY CHARLES RANGEL, CHAIRMAN of the House's tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, extols his plan as the "mother of all tax bills." Critics denounce it as the "mother of all tax hikes." Gentlemen, gentlemen! Can we agree on at least one thing? ...
Our Mighty Factories.(United States manufacturing industry)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: KNIGHT KIPLINGER Of all the myths about our dynamic economy, none is more persistent--or more wrong--than the "death of U.S. manufacturing." In fact, not only is manufacturing alive and well, but U.S. factory workers are also producing--and exporting--record amounts, ...
My Favorite Fund.(Fidelity Contrafund)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: JAMES K. GLASSMAN In 1996, I set out to find the best mutual fund. Superlatives a ten in the eye of the beholder, but I was searching in particular for a diversified U.S. large-company stock fund with great long-term returns, comfortable risk levels, a low expense ratio, ...
Where to Invest in 2008.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: ANDREW TANZER TO PARAPHRASE DICKENS, THINK OF 2007 AS A TALE OF TWO ECONOMIES. THE HOME-building bust, crumbling housing prices and mounting credit woes sapped the domestic economy. As a result, stocks tied to housing and the U.S. economy sagged. But such businesses as ...
8 Stocks to Own in '08.
Jan 01, 2008 ... MAKING MONEY BY THROWING darts at stock tables will be tough in 2008 if market gains are as modest as we predict they'll be. Instead, it will be a year in which the spoils go to the most-astute stock pickers. In that vein, we present our best bets for 2008 (listed in alphabetical order; ...
5 Easy Ways to Track Your Stocks.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: KATY MARQUARDT FIRST THING EVERY MORNING, DAVE Williams scours the news for any mention of the hundred or so stocks in Excelsior Value & Restructuring, the mutual fund he has managed for 15 years. He spends the next few hours talking to financial analysts and brokers and ...
Political Portfolios.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: ROBERT FRICK HOW MUCH CASH CANDIDATES RAISE--AND how they raised it--is the main "follow the money" story in a presidential race. But personal portfolios sometimes become an election issue all their own. How the candidates invest--and how they earned their own money--can ...
ETFs Target Retirement.(exchange-traded funds)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON LIKE PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY, TARGET-DATE EXCHANGE-TRADED funds should be an irresistible combination. These funds aim to marry the low costs of investing in ETFs with the set-it-and-forget-it ease of funds that shift to a more conservative mix of ...
Real Estate Funds to Buy Now.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: JEFFREY R. KOSNETT SUPERSTUDIO/GETTY IMAGES AFTER PRODIGIOUS GAINS IN the first seven years of this century, real estate stocks finally retreated in 2007. Through mid November, the Dow Jones Wilshire index of real estate investment trusts lost 15% and the ...
Let Your Winners Run.(stock winners)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: ANDREW FEINBERG "Bulls make money. Bears make money. Pigs get slaughtered." The point of this Wall Street adage is that you can profit by owning stocks or by betting against them, but you run the risk of losing big-time if you get too greedy. I think the Street ...
Can this Railroad Run Any Faster?(Chessie-Seaboard Corporation)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: FRED W. FRAILEY SOMETIMES YOU JUST CAN'T win. That's probably how CSX chairman Michael Ward feels. In 2007, his railroad beat profit forecasts, boosted its dividend by 25% and accelerated its stock-buyback program. CSX shares rose 28% in the first ten and a half months ...
There's No Biz News Like Fluffy Biz News.(Fox Business Network)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON FOX BUSINESS NETWORK takes fluff to a whole new level, even by the standards of cable news. Watch the channel's Happy Hour show and get business tips from the Mannheim Steamroller band's Chip Davis from a bar in New York City's Waldorf-Astoria hotel ....
Right on the Money.
Jan 01, 2008 ... NO SOONER HAD WE GONE TO press with the December issue than Microsoft reported blowout earnings for the quarter that ended September 30 (see "The Changing Face of Microsoft"). Microsoft (symbol MSFT) reported that its earnings per share jumped 29% and its sales climbed 27% from the same ...
Kiplinger 25 Update: Housing Stocks Drag Down Muhlenkamp Fund.(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008 ... MUHLENKAMP FUND IS MIRED IN A DEEP slump, trailing Standard & Poor's 500-stock index by 12 percentage points over the past year. "I held housing stocks too long," Ron Muhlenkamp says ruefully, conceding that he kept them even as it became clear that the home-building industry was facing an ...
Teamwork Pays Off.(American Funds Group)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: RUSSEL KINNEL Fidelity Investments has shown the American Funds family the sincerest form of flattery by establishing a lineup of funds that are run by teams of managers rather than by individuals. This marks a big change for Fidelity--and validates the consistently ...
The Exodus at Janus Group.(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: ROBERT FRICK THREE KEY FUND MANAGERS HAVE jumped ship from Janus funds in the past few months, following two who left in 2006. Five overboard bodes something, but not necessarily ill, given the overhaul at Janus since its infamous blowup early this decade (see "Janus ...
Mutual Fund Rankings: A Religious Approach Pays Off.(Amana Income)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: ELIZABETH ODY IN FINANCIALS. IT SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT large-company value funds generally struggled in 2007. Why? Because these funds tend to invest disproportionately in financial companies--mostly banks, insurers and brokers--and that group ...
The Worst is Yet to Come.(on home-price trends)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: PATRICIA MERTZ ESSWEIN LOW-KEY, LOW-RISE AND (PRIOR TO THE HOUSING BOOM) LOW-COST, PUNTA GORDA sits on Florida's west coast, halfway between Sarasota and Fort Myers. Residents love their slice of paradise. In Punta Gorda and neighboring Port Charlotte, owners of homes ...
Dodge These Retirement Rip-Offs.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD ED AND RUTHANN WOLFE JUST WANTED A SAFE PLACE FOR THEIR RETIREMENT SAVINGS. During his 32 years at the Rubbermaid plant in Wooster, Ohio, Ed had amassed more than $320,000 in his 401(k), all of it invested in low-risk Fidelity mutual funds ....
Rest Easy About Online Banks.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD CUSTOMERS OF INTERNET banks love the high interest rates and the convenience of banking online, but many can't escape some nagging doubts about these upstarts in the ether. Are they as safe as the brick-and-mortar branch on the corner? The ...
It's Not Too Late to Spend Last Year's Money.(on health-care spending account)(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: MARY BETH FRANKLIN Running out of time to empty your health-care flexible spending account? Relax. Many employers grant a two-and-a-half-month grace period beyond the traditional December 31 deadline. If your company is one of them, you can use the balance in your 2007 ...
Put Your Business Online.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: JANE BENNETT CLARK TRAM NGUYEN'S WEB SITE looks a lot like her fashions: fresh, free-spirited and full of charm. Launched last May, www.apparatchikdesign.com showcases Nguyen's Apparatchik line of exquisitely wrought dresses, priced at up to $550. The site ...
The Best Way to Pay Off Debt.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: THOMAS M. ANDERSON JEREMIAH BODNER IS WELL on his way to a junior membership in the millionaire's club. The 34-year-old bachelor owns a condo and two rental properties and has saved $285,000, including $100,000 in retirement accounts. Bodner, who lives in Berlin, N.J., ...
When To Take Social Security.
Jan 01, 2008 ... CALL IT A SILVER TSUNAMI, and call Kathleen Casey-Kirschling the tip of the wave. The oldest baby-boomer, Casey-Kirschling turns 62 at a tick after midnight on January 1, 2008, and she has already applied for Social Security benefits. Over the next 20 years, nearly 80 million boomers will ...
Insure Your Expensive Stuff.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD AFTER YOU'VE THANKED YOUR SPECIAL someone for that extra-special holiday gift, contact your insurer. Most homeowners policies limit coverage for personal valuables, and you could fall far short of replacement value if your brand-new Patek Philippe watch ...
Your Real Cost of Living.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: ANNE KATES SMITH FEW PEOPLE STRIVE TO BE just average. But when it comes to inflation, some folks would jump at the chance. In late 2007, consumer prices were up an average of 2.8% nationwide over the preceding 12 months. That's not much. So why is it so painful every ...
Ask Kim: A Seat on the Board.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: KIMBERLY LANKFORD PETER ROSS I'm an average investor with less than $25,000 in any given mutual fund. Once again I'm being asked to elect a fund's board of directors. I've never met these people, and they haven't told me how they would represent me as a ...
Where to Stash College Cash.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: JANE BENNETT CLARK FOR FAMILIES WHO HAVE years to go before the college bills arrive, it's easy to decide where to build a tuition kitty: Use a state-sponsored 529 plan and reap a tax bonanza. Your savings grow tax-deferred and escape taxes altogether if you use the ...
Credit Card: Can I Add My Wife to My Cards?".(Brief article)
Jan 01, 2008 ... Byline: JOAN GOLDWASSER CAN I ADD MY WIFE TO MY CARDS? Q: I have a credit score of more than 800. My new wife has a much lower score. I'd like to add her as a co-borrower on some of my credit cards. Would that negatively affect my credit? Don't worry. Your ...
Giving Back Through Giving Circles.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: JANE BENNETT CLARK A FEW YEARS AGO, A GROUP OF URBAN RESIDENTS FOUND THEMSELVES IN A FALTERING city. Crime, unemployment, failing schools and vacant lots had turned Cleveland into a place thousands of people decided was best seen through the rearview mirror. But rather ...
iPhone Challengers.(Product/service evaluation)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: JEFF BERTOLUCCI IT'S THE RARE GADGET THAT dominates its category from the moment consumers get their hands on it. The iPhone is such a device, and it's still the best-designed smart phone we've seen. But even the iPhone is far from perfect. Apple's competitors have ...
What You Need to Know About Travel Rewards Programs.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: MARK SOLHEIM 1. EARNING MILES IS A CINCH. USING THEM IS TOUGH. Airlines discovered that they could make more money by selling miles to "partners" than by selling seats. You can earn miles when you buy at retailers and even when you take out a mortgage. But good luck ...
Detroit Motors Back.
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: MARK SOLHEIM A few years ago, Kiplinger's stopped hearing from the Buy American crowd, who complained regularly about foreign models topping our annual rankings. It's no secret why: Even the most patriotic U.S. car buyers grew disenchanted with Chrysler, Ford and GM ...
Update on the American Dream.(Interview)
Jan 01, 2008; ... Byline: HEMIL AND KATHYA GARCIA AND MARY BETH FRANKLIN WAS THE ADJUSTMENT HARD? Very. I had a journalism degree and had worked in the financial industry in Peru, but my English wasn't very good. So I cleaned toilets, waited tables, worked as a cashier and sold used cars. I ...