Rachel ÿ` Cut Flowers SPEND | “Grocery stores and florists don’t gener- ally sell the same qual- ity of flowers, and they don't handle them the same way," says Amy Stewart, author of
Trang 1Rachel
ÿ` Cut Flowers
SPEND | “Grocery stores
and florists don’t gener-
ally sell the same qual-
ity of flowers, and they
don't handle them the
same way," says Amy
Stewart, author of Flower
Confidential: The Good,
the Bad and the Beautiful
in the Business of Flowers
Because plants are their
main source of revenue,
florists are more likely
to keep their inventory
at the right temperature
(near-freezing is best),
frequently change
the water and peri-
odically recut stems, says
Stewart All these steps
keep the blooms alive
longer Be especially
wary of supermarket
flowers kept too close
to produce: The fruit
gives off ethylene, which
wilts plants
PANASONIC TH-soPX6ooU 50-INCH 720P PLASMA | 1,500
SAVE | These days, LCD and plasma flat-panel TVs offer similar picture quality for similar prices The X-factor now is resolution, or pixels making up the screen On both you can get the highest available, 1080p, which has about 2 million pixels, But these TVs run up to §1,000 more than 720p sets (which have 1 million pixels) with the same screen size And 1080p content is still scarce, warns Ross Rubin, analyst at the
NPD Group Besides, from a normal viewing distance,
“the difference is difficult to detect in a TV 50 inches or smaller.” (Most rooms don't cal for bigger sets.) Save
on pixels;720p will give you a clear image Enhance the sharpness with this Panasonic 720p plasma, which has been praised for its contrast
2 Cables
MONOPRICE.COM SIX-FOOT HDMI 28AWG
CABLES | $4.79 EACH
SAVE |When you're getting your TV or home theater,
a salesperson might try to sway you toward audio or video cables from Monster for more than $100 apiece
Don't budge—a §5 to $10 gold-plated cable will suffice The Monster cables are indeed able to pass massive amounts of signal, but even the most super- duper HDTV (1080p) can pass through run-of-the-mill wires, Buy them online for lower prices; MonoPrice .com has some of the best deals around
Theater
JVC DVD DIGITAL THEATER SYSTEM TH-Dso | $400 (comes with DVD player, plus five speakers and subwoofer)
SAVE | To get the coveted surround-sound that’s part and parcel of HDTV and DVD movies, you need a surround-sound setup You could buy all the pieces separately and pay $400 for the receiver and §600 t0 $6,000 for speakers Oryou could get an entire home theater for $400 total, JVC's comes with a DVD player built in, has spacious sound and is idiot-proof in terms of setup and use Major brands deliver simi larquality on one-box systems; just look for at least 800 watts of sound for a 20-foot-by-20-foot room,
MONEY MAGAZINE@35|1972-2007 September127
Trang 2
VALUE JUDGMENTS
bedroom|
) Headboard ®
WEST ELM SQUARE CUTOUT HEADBOARD | §359 QUEEN-SIZE
SAVE ( Framed beds are out, says furniture expert Jennifer
Litwin, Headboards are |
without your spending In the thousands.” Because they don’t support welght, you don't need to blow the budget Litwin, likes West Elm for its low-priced sty lish headboards,
? Mattress and box spring
‘They make a room look finished
®
† Sheets
®
†'Comforter
SEALY SILVER COAST ULTRA PLUSH EURO
PILLOWTOP | $899 (for queen-size mattress and
box spring)
SPEND | This decision comes down mostly to
comfort, but it's safe to say that the cheapest
mattresses don't have much padding (you'll fee!
the springs), are madewith polyester (which
can pack down over time), and have fewer colls
(youwant at least 350) As you go up In price,
you gain layers of support, like body-molding
memory foam or the “Posturepedic innerspring”
featured in this Sealy Tip: Ask the salespeople to
start you from the bottom up, or they'll have you
test the priciest one first—and let you convince
yourself that nothing less will do,
128 September MONEY MAG
THE COMPANY STORE 420-THREAD-COUNT ELOQUENCE SUPIMA PALM PRINT BEDDING
$172 (for queen-size sheets and two pillowcases) SPEND | Here the measure Is comfort per dollar Generally, the higher the thread count, the softer a sheet will be
Theoretically it reveals the number of threads per square Inch, but two twisted yarns acting as one (a.k.a two-ply) can inflate that Ergo, stick with counts from
200 to 500, as it’s hard to pack more in
an inch without double-counting twisted threads The Company Store Is known for Its luxe sheets, many of which are made from Supima (read: American extra-long staple) cotton,
WAMSUTTA LUXURY COVERLET | $100 SAVE Save on the overblanket, which Isn't in constant con- tact with your skin, to make up for the splurge
on sheets A basic poly- ester-filled comforter
or coverlet like this from Wamsutta will keep you warm
In any ordinary bed- room, says Linwood Wright of the National Textile Association
Trang 3Rachel
JOS A BANK BUSINESS EXPRESS SUIT SEPARATES JACKET §395; PANTS $155
SAVE | A suit you wear often has to hold up under frequent cleaning, Because of the fineness of the fabric, high-end suits can't So for an everyday suit, choose coarse wool, around Super 100 This lasts longer than a poly blend, since polyester and wool deteriorate at different rates, With Jos A Bank, you'll get 100% merino wool, and you can build the suit yourself—from jacket style to fabric
J) Diamonds
“«~ ONECARAT ROUND CUT H,SI2 DIAMOND
v~ oe SAVE | You don't have to go broke buying the
~ highest-grade diamonds This bling is rated on cut,
bị carat, color and clarity, While the first two are a
x matter of preference, color is graded alphabeti-
s cally from D (colorless) to Z (yellow), and clarity
` follows scale of n, starting with FL for “flawless.”
- | 44 You can drop to an Hin color and Siz in clar-
HICKEY FREEMAN BARRETT SOLID NAVY unnoticeable to the naked eye, says Helena Krodel
becomes It's an unavoidable trade-off The
solution: Splurge on one or two high-
quality suits for special occasions Start
with wool rated Super 180 and above
(higher numbers indicate finer thread)
Spilhaus gives high marks to Hickey
Freeman for handwork and fabric
_
4 1&:INCH FRESHWATER STRAND | 100 TO 150
SAVE | Jewelers use five criteria to evaluate pearls: luster, surface, shape, color and size Akoyas are extra-lustrous, and South Sea pearls are large; because both are rare, strands run $10,000 and up Freshwater pearls are farmed in large numbers, and unless they're examined side by side with other varieties, they look perfectly lustrous, smooth, round, creamy and large The human eye recognizes beauty, not rarity, so look for freshwater pearls that meet the five qualifications to your satisfaction,
g
`
`
©) Women's Jeans
7 FORALL MANKIND ERIN TROUSER | $172
‘SPEND | Pricier jeans tend to use premium denim, which is heavy, tightly woven
and often imported from Italy or Japan Jeans made of this fabric lift and hug your
body better, “like an old-fashioned girdle,” says Jason Meyer, co-owner of Detour,
‘a denim store in Milwaukee Often the fabric is brushed for softness and pre-
washed and stretched to curb shrinkage Companies using this type of denim—
Citizens of Humanity, Paige Premium Denim and7 for All Mankind among
them—tend to be meticulous with other details, using heavier-gauge stitching
and nickel hardware (rather than lead, which corrodes), Meyer adds Indeed, you'll
pay for allthis work;7's jeans are $100 and up So keep your fancy denims looking
new by buying a darker wash, washing them inside out and skipping the dryer
MONEY MAGAZINE@35)1972
7 September 129
Trang 4VALUE JUDGMENTS
office
1 Printer-Copier-Fax-
Scanner
EPSON STYLUS CXgq00F | $150
SAVE | Add up the price of a
printer, acopier, a scanner anda
fax, and the total, conservatively,
approaches $300 For a while,
“allin-ones” cost about that much
too, even though they weren’t
reliable Today, however, the same
companies dominate the printer,
scanner and fax businesses—with
Epson leading the pack As a result,
the quality of all-in-ones has shot
up Meanwhile, prices have plum-
meted: You can get one for §150
130 September MONEY MAGAZINE® 3519;
® Desk Chair
HERMAN MILLER AERON |$949 SPEND | The wrong chalr will give you Improper support, which can lead
to chronic back, shoulder and neck pain, says Jack Dennerlein, associate
‘ergonomics professor at the Harvard School of Public Health You want one with adjustments for seat height, arm rests and seat pan (cost: $700 and up)
“The pan should be short enough that your rear end comfortably reaches the chair back, and there should be
a few fingers of space between the knee back and the pan,” he says Look for full back coverage and wheels so you don’t “get stuck In one posture.”
Herman Miller remains the gold stan-
dard manufacturer, though Dennerlein also likes Steelcase and Humanscale
2-200]
© Shredder
STAPLES 10-SHEET SAFETY HANDLE CROSSCUT SHREDDER | $100
SPEND | You can ind a shredder for
as little as $20, but ifyou skimp that much, the motor will probably burn out onyou While you don't need the deluxe Enron evidence grinder, focus on the $100 mark to ensure reliable shredding for years This Staples model delivers all the neces- sitles: crosscut capability (mean- Ing it makes confetti rather than strips), 10-sheet capacity (for those unopened credit-card offers) and the ability to cut credit cards and CDs
D Laptop
DELLXPS i330 | STARTING AT $1,300 SPEND | Intes latest mobile processor, the Core 2 Duo “Santa Rosa,” launched
in May to critical praise of its high speed and energy efficiency Since it’s the beginning of a product cycle, buying now allows you to future-proof yourself against a next generation of software that can't be handled by lesser proces:
sors, says Rob Enderle, PC industry analyst You can get the processor in
‘@ Mac or PC costing around $1,500 PC users, look for one with 2GB of RAM and Windows Vista This ultrathin Dell has all the goods and, well, it comes in this ire sistible red, (Mac users may want towait until Apple launches its new operating system, Leopard, due this fall)
Trang 5The most fuel-efficient
auto company in America
FrvitoNMentoleg
Honda thinking in action
Meet Small Oil Honda has always been committed to developing environmentally
responsible technology And with cars like the all-new Fit along with the legendary
Civic, Honda will continue as the leader in fuel efficiency Through innovation and
hard work, Small Oil can make a world of difference That our Environmentology~
HONDA
The Power of Dreams
“Based an mode year 205 CAFE vege icteconamy ings nd wegtd sles fr poser and lettre es din he US by
tnaprmaueeures 'Che Hib and a pert wih SMT doen 2007 EPA mee exis: 49 cy highney 3.8 bigamy espectney ‘efor compos ppcies ely Ack mage my vary © 2006 Anercan Hoes Moe Ca, Ine crremerelsvlomtecem
Trang 7Rachel
© Driver
CALLAWAY FT3 | $209
SAVE | Every year club manufac-
turers come out with new drivers,
but you should resist the urge to
buy the latest one, Because of
the quick product cycle, “we're
approaching the limits of nature,”
says Frank Thomas, former tech-
nical director of the U.S Golf
Assoclation Take this as evidence:
GolfTest USA, a leading Indepen-
dent reviewer, tested last year’s
Callaway driver (the FT-3) and
this year’s (the FT-5) and found,
on average, no noticeable dif-
© Stationary Bike
SPINNER SPORT | $499 SAVE| The difference between home- and gym:
quality exercise bikes isn't that great, says celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak: “Buy whatever youcan afford and will use.” Even a simple spin bike with a heavy flywhee!—like this Spinner Sport—will do Pay more for electronic readouts and heart moni torsifyou want, but “those bells and whistles aren't essential,” says Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise
ference in terms of drive length > Power Drill
Meanwhile, the FT-5 sells for $535; CRAFTSMAN 14.4-VOLT COMPACT CORDLESS DRILL
the similar titanium-faced FT-3 DRIVER WITH 3/8-INCH CHUCK | $60
goes for less than $300 SAVE | Professional-grade drills are designed to be
used and abused, They're heavier than consumer
‘models, with larger motors and bigger batteries
© Gril Unless you're planning to drywall your house, you
© Gri needn't pay for that speed or power Tom Silva,
WEBER GENESIS E510 | $550 contractor on PBS’ This Old House, says that a §50
: ‘ cordless dri witha three-eighths-inch chuck can
seen} To gota gaxguillthat!l handle most home jobs roca turd tie prewar
last more thay few summietsy similar DeWalt, this powerful Craftsman comes with a
spend $400 or more, advises builtin work light and levels
Steven Raichlen, author of The
Barbecue Bible The burners
on cheaper grills are generally
stamped metal, and the grates ‘© Treadmill
are chrome-plated wire—both Fˆ PRECOR Cas6 | $22oo (USED)
of which can corrode The Weber SPEND | These days you can buy a treadmill for as little as comes with stainless-steel burn- ‘$100, but it’s really no bargain The machinewill lack stabil-
ers and cast-iron grates, which ity and cushioning—and you could end up hurtingyour-
not only are more durable but also self “Step onto cheap treadmill andi I wobble," says
aistriouta heat bra evénly, personal trainer Paul Frediani, author of Tri Power Quality
treadmills are sturdier, with oversize steel rollers, welded- steel frames and big motors, (Precor's C956 is 410 pounds)
‘A good one costs $2,000-plus For a deal on a gym-quality treadmill, go to the secondary market Recently a refurbed Precor ¢956 was selling for $2,200 on GlobalFitness.com:a new one costs $8,000
© Golf balls
TITLEIST NXT EXTREME | 4A DOZEN
SAVE | It's particularly painful to lose a ball to the rough when you spent $50 on a dozen What's more,
‘cheap balls and mid-price ones like this Titleist “react better to lower swing speeds,” says former USGA technical director Frank Thomas “The high-end balls are tuned for the very skilled golfer.” $
rerpnac: money Jetters@moneymail.com MONEY MAGAZINE@35|1972-2007 September 133,
Trang 8a |
Stocks
Stocks Decline as
Lending Woes Rise
Allmajor indexes lost ground in the month ended July 27, The
Dow suffered its worst week in four years Among stocks in the
‘S&P 500, industrials (up 0.9%), energy (up 0.7%) and informa
tion technology (up 0.4%) were the only sectors to eke out
gains, Hedge fund troubles and dwindling access to credit for
deals pushed the financial sector down 8.3%, Citigroup fared
worst ofthe widely held stocks with a 9.3% drop,
TT in VI
Energy (2:2
Information jo
‘technology
sd
Telecom -1e
services ass
Consumer stapes 23}
es:
5 ae
ie mms | spnicicinnct
SG me "
Helhcm -^ NN me
Consumer -sg
discretionary es
nhanh „
TT
TOTALRETURN HH:
RANK_ STOCK(TICKER) MONTH YEAR
1 oilsands Quest (62) SAU 684% 3
2 Excel Maritime Carriers (ews) 3685 566 2618
3 AlnylamPharmaceuticals(any) 2441 50.9 1036
41 LDKSolarCo (to) 4A 49A NA
5 Sequa (coxa) 165354821122
6 Opsware (ors) 1406 %1 ama
1 Intultve Surgical (sto) 1255 487 - 1010
8 Fistindlana (nhe) 3125 388 297
98 Seabridge Gold (se) 2690 429 118
10 bade Behring Holdings(oxos) 7418 3L0 — 828
a: Unless tern ni aaa uy 2 fon Up
'BENCHMARKS
MÔNTH YEAR - YEARSL
ST
ey S8P500 RATIOS
fe
180 One- 185 year
TT TT
ĐIVIDEND
Boast)
Phzer (oe) $23.79 Citigroup (¢) 4697 Altria Group (40) 65.17
\Verizon Communications (v2) 4200 ATET (0) 39.24
|EP Morgan Chase pu) “28 General Motors(cxs) 31.10 DuPont (0) 4682 Merck (anv) 50.12 30 'GeneralElectrie(GE) 38.79 29 MOST WIDELY HELD STOCKS
TOTALRETURN
An RANK STOCK(TCKER} Coins
1 General Electric (ce) 19% 221%
2 Microsoft (werr) 2930-16 248
3 Phzer (pre) 237 74 31
4 ExxonMobil (cor) S559 28 307
5 Johnson & Johnson (mu) 0.77 -27 20
6 Cisco Systems (ceca) 3897 62 688
7 VerizonCommunications (vz) 4200 36 35.9
8 Intel (ote) = 972
9 ATET (1) 1Ð 869
10 Citigroup (©) -93 36
Ne Yor: 7-635 Ind: el om Slombary Sondinde data from ehinan Bother Stock afro They
EP sootats rom Standat& Poors Rates te ast on pees er unre earnings Tep Perera Sods tet compaseswhh ae coptaaaton oa eas 0
N
-nllee MortBlẢny HQ Sex rvkeb lveot xceuae rMenlynek kunudie 7bee dung cy
134 September MONEY MAGAZINE@35)1972-2007
Trang 9JLD BE THE SHOE SAVED MY LIFE
THIS
THA
One of the reason yl Crow survived
breast cancer
research funded by "FFANY Shoes on Sale’
Thousands of beautif
of the type of
their manufacturer's sugges!
with all net proceeds benefiting the c
Tune in to QVC for a great night of sh
and help support the kind of research th:
saved Sheryl And may someday save you
Trang 10
=
` —
Mutual Funds
Stock Funds Tumble,
Bonds Fare Better
Alate-month plunge leftall types of stock funds in the red for
the month ended July 27, Small-cap funds did the worst, down
an average of 5.3% Fidelity Contrafund, down 1%, posted
the smallest loss of the big stock funds Most bond funds fared
better; US government funds gained an average of L1%
THE 10 BIGGEST STOCK FUNDS
American Funds Growth Fund of America cit)
American Goof Amerie ah) Funds investinent 23 4° môn, ero
mộ
‘American Funds Capital ~25Ï Treone Balder CA 7 mm bee
American Funds Capital
World Growth & Income enc)
Vanguard soo index
FPN Dodge & Cox stock? ~
(00096, American Funds Washington ~
‘Mutual Investors asi)
Fidelity Contrafund
tramo
“American Funds Income ~* Fund of America (ame
‘American Funds
EuroPacifie Growth ath)
FUNDAVERAGES
TOTALRETURN
Em SNE ti
US diversified equity 16.0% 123%
large-cap 158 108
‘Smalt-cap 156 188
US government 1 28
Investment-grade corporate 04 32
High-yleld corporate -âo 62
Tax-exempt 04 34
TEb NÀO
lessee not alate
136 September MONEY MAGAZINE@35|1972-2007
saan
Ry ay ag
RR acy
Large-Cap Stocks
ProFunds UltraDow so (Uonx) 348% 16.1% 149 Rydex Dow ax Strategy (evs) 331 150 245 Janus Research (axes) 303 151 097 Fideliy Advlsor Growth Opportunldes (s64) 29.3 117 1⁄12 Lege Mason Growth Trust (uwcrs) 287 10.8 1.86 Eaton Vance Multl-Cap Growth (evcrx) 406 19.2
‘American Century Gifrust (ewer) SEE
‘American Century Herltage (rH) 396 25.9 1.00 Eaton VanceTax-Mgd Mult-CapGro, (Exch) 39.2 188 — 140 Fidelity Ageressive Growth (Foe) 382 182 0.76 Professionally Managed Perkins Diec (epro) 354 197,
Undlscovered Managers Behzvloral Gf, (UaRrx) 34⁄4 15.3 đi Royce Global Select (nsrrx) 330 NA 2.40 Paciic Advisors Small Cap (pstx) 334 268 259 State Farm Small/Mid Cap Equity (sx) 324 157 140 Eaton Vance Balanced (evirs) 203 31118 Valley Forge (varex) 18391127 John Hancock Balanced (584%) 179 153 128 Fideliy Advleor Ereedom 2039 (re) 169 136 025 Janus Smart Portfollo-Moderate (jek) 165 NA 017
a intL Small Company (osuax) 5214011 el
Janus Overseas (405%) 468 3886 091 ING International SmallCap (wnx) 450 319 166
‘Janus Adviser International Growth (jiscx) 42.6 97.91.74 Federated International Small Company (cax) 39.0 31.7 1.59
ProFundsUltraEmerging Markets (uurx) 5⁄8 NA 161
‘Matthews India (unio) 645 NA 142
‘American Century EmergingMarkets (rwwx) 549 442 1.79 Goldman Sachs BRIC (abn) 544 NA 197 Van Eck Emerging Markets (urcx) BÀ đó 273
PutnamAmerican Government income (P46vx) 00 1.00 Rydex Gov Long Bond 2x Strategy (mons) 6.0 -= ProFunds US Government Plus (ev?) 59 41 119
‘Sit US Government Securitles (sv) sa 7 0m Pacihic Advisors Government Securities (m06x) 5.72.7,
Toomis ayes Bond (sors)
Loomis Sayles investment Grade Bond (tuøt:) 8.9 = HSBC Investor Intm-Dur Fixed Income (wuvax) S7 3.9 1.56
Ia a ca a Kn
‘Metropolitan West Total Return Bond (sarc) 7.5 0.65 John Hancock High Yield (nsx) Va 122 100 Fidelity Advisor Hi-tnc Advantage (ad) 133 114 — 101 Ploneer High Yield (ra) 283) 11
Fidelity Capital & Income (sci) 0.30.76
Dreyfus High Yield Muneipal Bond (chiwex) 6.3 1.00
Legg Mason PartnersMunl High Income (sri88) 6.1 —
‘AIM Hlgh Income Munlclpal (a1e4x3) S4 71 061 'Oppenhelmer Rochester Na Munl (osuax) 54 101 060 Lord Abbett High Vield Municipal Bond (wax) &2 NA 015
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