February 1, 2003: State of the Union/State of the Economy
Broadcast Guests
•   Ilyce Glink - Personal finance author.
•   David Heim - Deputy editor at Consumer Reports magazine.
•   Matthew Morey - Associate finance professor at the Lubin School of Business at New York’s Pace University.
•   Sung Won Sohn - Chief economist, Wells Fargo.
•   Erica Whittlinger - Sound Money’s in-house investment expert.

Web Sites
•   Treasury Direct - Visit this site to buy bonds, T-bills, and savings bonds from the U.S. Treasury Web site.
•   www.morningstar.com - This site is home to the famous Morningstar Five Star ratings system.
•   www.valueline.com - This is Value Line’s Web site, where you can learn more about their research tools.
•   Read Consumer Reports magazine’s special report on cell phones. Another great resource for cell phones and plans is www.letstalk.com.
•   www.thinkglink.com - This is Ilyce Glink’s site where you can get Ilyce’s money saving tip of the week.
•   Read portions of Professor Matthew Morey’s study about mutual fund research. (PDF; free Adobe Reader needed)
If you are considering consolidating your student loans, here are some resources:
•   www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/ - This is the Department of Education's site on loan consolidation.
•   www.collegeboard.org - Visit the College Board's site, then click on the "Paying for College" tab for financial aid information.
•   www.salliemae.com - The Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae) is the largest student loan provider.
•   www.nelliemae.org - Nellie Mae provides federal loans for college, including consolidation loans.

Books
•   50 Simple Steps You Can Take to Sell Your Home Faster and for More Money in Any Market, by Ilyce Glink (Crown, January 2003).
•   50 Simple Things You Can Do to Disaster-Proof Your Finances: How to Plan Ahead to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones and Survive Any Crisis, by Ilyce Glink (Crown, May 2002).

February 8, 2003: War and Uncertainty
Broadcast Guests
•   James Grant - Founder and editor of the newsletter Grant's Interest Rate Observer. He also writes a monthly column for Forbes.
•   Ross Levin - Certified Financial Planner, founder and president of Accredited Investors, Inc.
•   Lynne Rossetto Kasper - Host of Minnesota Public Radio's The Splendid Table and author of The Stories of the Italian Country Table: Experience the Flavor of the Italian Countryside.
•   Erica Whittlinger - Sound Money's in-house investment expert.

Web Sites
•   www.grantspub.com - This is Grant's Interest Rate Observer's Web site. The newsletter is a subscription-only service, but you can sign up for a free e-mail newsletter.
•   For more about the performance of commodities, read this roundtable discussion with investor Marc Faber . You must be a Barron's or Wall Street Journal online subscriber to read this article, but you may also find the article at your local library in the January 27, 2003, issue of Barron's.
•   Treasury Direct - Visit this site to buy bonds, T-bills, and savings bonds from the U.S. Treasury Web site. You can also use this site to build a bond ladder.
•   www.hsh.com and www.bankrate.com - Visit these sites for tools to help you manage your mortgage. Can you afford to prepay? Should you refinance? Use their calculators to find out.
•   www.splendidtable.org - This is The Splendid Table site. Try your hand at Lynne's impressive and economical Valentine's Day feast.
•   www.indexfunds.com - Research index funds and where to purchase them.

Books
•   Bernard M. Baruch: Adventures of a Wall Street Legend, by James Grant (John Wiley & Sons, January 1997).

February 15, 2003: Franchising
Broadcast Guests
•   Jason Goodwin - Author of Greenback: The Almighty Dollar and the Invention of America.
•   Rieva Lesonsky - Editorial Director, Entrepreneur magazine.
•   Charles Wheelan - Author of Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science.
•   Erica Whittlinger - Sound Money's in-house investment expert.

Web Sites
•   www.Entrepreneur.com - This is the web site for Entrepreneur magazine. You can visit their Franchise Zone for more info. Reiva Lesonsky also mentioned the Uniform Franchise Offering Circular, which a franchiser must provide to you before you sign any contract.
•   If you are curious about how your mutual funds are performing compared to other similar funds, visit www.morningstar.com or www.businessweek.com to do some research.
•   www.bearmarketblues.com - If you liked Sound Money listener Jake's song Bear Market Blues, listen to the entire song and learn more about his work.

Books
•   Greenback: The Almighty Dollar and the Invention of America, by Jason Goodwin (Henry Holt, January 2002).
•   Start Your Own Business, by Rieva Lesonsky and the staff of Entrepreneur magazine (Entrepreneur Press, April 2001).
•   IRAs, 401(k)s and Other Retirement Plans: Taking Your Money Out, by Twila Slesnick and John Suttle (Nolo Press, December 2002).
•   The Retirement Savings Time Bomb…and How to Diffuse It: A 5-Step Action Plan for Protecting Your IRAs, 401(k)s, and Other Retirement Plans from Near-Annihilation by the Taxman, by Ed Slott (Penguin, February 2003).
•   Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science, by Charles Wheelan (W.W. Norton & Company, September 2002).

February 22, 2003: Home Equity Buzz
Broadcast Guests
•   Ilyce Glink - Personal finance author.
•   Yianos Kontopoulos - Chief global foreign exchange strategist at Merrill Lynch.
•   Greg McBride - Senior financial analyst for www.bankrate.com.
•   Erica Whittlinger - Sound Money’s in-house investment expert.

Web Sites
•   www.bankrate.com/brm/default.asp - Visit this site to read more of Greg McBride’s work and to analyze nearly any financial situation, from using home equity, to saving for retirement, to getting out of debt.
•   If you want to see an example of a foundation with good asset allocation practices, read Yale University’s 2002 Endowment Update.

Books
•   Frontiers of Tax Reform, edited by Michael J. Boskin (Hoover Institution Press, September 1997).
•   A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, by Burton Malkiel (W.W. Norton & Co., March 2003). This edition comes out on March 19th, 2003, but you can also pick up his 2001 edition currently on the shelves.
•   50 Simple Steps You Can Take to Sell Your Home Faster and for More Money in Any Market, by Ilyce Glink (Crown Publishing, January 2003).
•   50 Simple Things You Can Do to Disaster-Proof Your Finances: How to Plan Ahead to Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones and Survive Any Crisis , by Ilyce Glink (Crown, May 2002).