August 5 - August 12 - August 19 - August 26

Taking Money Out, with Twila Slesnick
Listen
August 5, 2000
For many workers, stashing money away for retirement may be easier than withdrawing it. All kinds of laws and regulations govern when and how money may be withdrawn from retirement plans, and if you break the rules, you could find yourself owing the IRS penalties and additional taxes. Twila Slesnick has mastered the ins and outs of IRAs, 401(k)s, and other retirement plans, and she writes about them in her book, IRAs, 401(k)s, and Other Retirement Plans: Taking Your Money Out, Second Edition (Nolo.com, March 2000) Whether you're approaching retirement, retiring early, changing jobs, looking to borrow money from your retirement plan, or wondering what to do with an inherited plan, you owe it to yourself to check out the facts before moving a dime. Slesnick will join Chris Farrell on this edition of Sound Money.

• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #1: Taking Money Out, with Twila Slesnick
  Twila Slesnick has mastered the ins and outs of IRAs, 401(k)s, and other retirement plans, and she'll discuss the laws and regulations that govern when and how money may be withdrawn from retirement plans - if you break the rules, you could find yourself owing the IRS penalties and additional taxes.
  
  
• YOUR MONEY MANAGER: Nasdaq Staggers
  Erica Whittlinger asks, "Are we afraid of a rally?".
  
  
• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #2: Summer Reading
  Business Week's book editor Hardy Green gives us his Summer Paperback Reading List.
  
  
• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #3: Ross Levin
  The final installment of Ross Levin's series on working with a financial planner.
  
  
• The NEWS & VIEWS of Chris Farrell: Cash Isn't Trash
  Today, many investors treat cash as trash. Cash drags down stock market performance. Yet cash is valuable for the investment options it open up whenever the market takes a severe downturn. It could be next week, six months from now, or in three years. But when it does, buyers with cash will profit handsomely.
  
  
• BUYER'S MARKET: Best Credit Card Rates This Week
  
  
• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast

Your Money Manager, with Erica Whittlinger
Listen
August 12, 2000
If managing your money isn't your idea of a good time, but you know you really ought to get serious about putting some order into your personal finances, Erica Whittlinger can help. She's the president of Whittlinger Capital Management, a money management firm in Minneapolis, and she's always ready with investment advice for Sound Money listeners. She'll join Chris Farrell to take calls on this edition of the program.

• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #1: Your Money Manager, with Erica Whittlinger
  Erica Whittlinger gives investment advise.
  
  
• YOUR MONEY MANAGER: A Bulimic Market
  "It gets hungry, it binges. Then it's overwhelmed by guilt and fear of the Fed, and it purges. It goes up, it goes down. It goes up, it goes down."
  
  
• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #2: Buyer's Guide to Insurance
  Bob Hunter of the Consumer Federation of America visits with Chris about their new Buyer's Guide to Insurance..
  
  
• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #3: New Economy
  Chris talks with Barry Libert of MIT on the new economy. Libert is co-author of Cracking the Value Code: How Successful Businesses Are Creating Wealth in the New Economy.
  
  
• The NEWS & VIEWS of Chris Farrell: Is Stock Market Volatility on the Rise?
  Chris Farrell gives us the stock market volatility story.
  
  
• BUYER'S MARKET: Best Credit Card Rates This Week
  
  
• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast

Long Term Care Insurance, with Priscilla Itscoitz
Listen
August 19, 2000
Long term care insurance can provide peace of mind for people who do not wish to become a burden to their families should they require long term care in their later years. Such insurance can cover the cost of nursing homes, home care, assisted living, or adult day care, depending on the terms of the policy. It can come with inflation protection or a a premium waiver, and it may cover pre-existing conditions and not require hospitalization prior to receiving benefits. Long term care insurance is expensive, though, and it's not for everyone. Priscilla Itscoitz is program consultant, health and long term care, AARP, in Washington DC, and she'll join Chris Farrell to explain the basics of long term care insurance on this edition of Sound Money.

• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #1: Long Term Care Insurance, with Priscilla Itscoitz
  Priscilla Itscoitz explains the basics of long term care insurance.
  
  
• YOUR MONEY MANAGER: Those Sneaky Splits
  Erica Whittlinger tells us to make sure to adjust our records reflect splitsdividends, spin-offs, withdrawals, etc.
  
  
• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #2: Girls and Funds
  Chris talks with author Susannah Goodman about her new book, Girls Just Want to Have Funds.
  
  
• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #3: Planning for Early Retirement
  Paula Kennedy of Ernst and Young, concludes her series on planning for early retirement.
  
  
• The NEWS & VIEWS of Chris Farrell: The Productivity Boom Continues
  Should the Fed welcome faster economic growth?
  
  
• BUYER'S MARKET: Best Credit Card Rates This Week
  
  
• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast

Back to School, with Janet Bodnar
Listen
August 26, 2000
The days and weeks immediately preceding the start of a new school year are often a time of great stress for families. Much of that stress is the direct result of a difference of opinion when it comes to back-to-school shopping and other financial matters. Is it really necessary to buy the latest high-tech and high-price sneakers? Should an allowance cover school lunches? How can parents and children resolve the problems that come up this time of year? Janet Bodnar, a a nationally-syndicated columnist also known as "Dr. Tightwad", will join Chris Farrell with advice for everyone struggling with these issues on this edition of Sound Money. Her latest book is Dollars & Sense for Kids: What They Need to Know About Money-and How to Tell Them (Kiplinger Books, November 1999).

• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #1: Back To School, with Janet Bodnar
  Janet Bodnar gives advise to parents on how to deal with the issues that come up between parent and child when it is time to go back to school.
  
  
• YOUR MONEY MANAGER: We Shift Our Focus To...
  What kind of role is politics playing on oil prices?
  
  
• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #2: Employee Stock Options
  Chris visits with Bruce Brumberg, CEO of myStockOptions.com, about employee stock options.
  
  
• CHRIS FARRELL INTERVIEW #3: Entrepreneurs
  Gerri Detweiler talks about her new venture as a dot-com entrepreneur.
  
  
• The NEWS & VIEWS of Chris Farrell: Prosperity and the Bond Market
  Chris Farrell talks about growth and the bond market.
  
  
• BUYER'S MARKET: Best Credit Card Rates This Week
  
  
• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast