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A leaking roof, a burst pipe or a skyrocketing electric bill are headaches no matter when they happen, but when you're on a fixed income and unprepared, they can become a financial crisis.

The Outback is dead! Long live the Outback!

Obviously, a rallying cry like that requires explanation. Back about a decade, when Japan's Subaru had a tidy lineup of all-wheel drive sedans and station wagons.

American motorists had become infatuated with sport utility vehicles, most based on trucks. Gasoline was cheap and vehicles like the popular Ford Explorer were riding high.

Specifications for the 2010 Subaru Outback 3.6R Premium four-door crossover utility vehicle.

Engine: 3.6 Liter horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, 256 horsepower.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic.

Overall length: 15 feet 8 inches.

EPA passenger/cargo volume: 105/34 cubic feet.

Weight: 3,634 pounds.

Towing capability: 2,700 pounds.

SAN FRANCISCO - Fears that the Internet and other personal technologies are making Americans socially isolated are unfounded, according to a new study

You've heard this many times in this column

"Job searching is selling --

YOU are the product, and

YOU are the salesperson!"

In tough times, sales managers have meetings and you often hear the following:

Make more sales calls -- make more presentations!

Work harder and longer!

Sell harder and close faster!

Offer incentives to buy now!

Fed up with the stock market? Sick of greedy megabanks and Wall Street bailouts? Then take your money and invest in what you eat. That's the idea behind slow money, a movement coming into its own at a time when interest in local food is rising and exasperation is high over a global financial system gone wild.

Like many people considering a mortgage modification, David L. of Oakland, Calif., wonders how it will affect his credit score.

Early returns indicate the recession is causing more people to take withdrawals from their retirement plans for reasons other than rolling them over to other plans or because they've retired.

Attention job seekers: Don't let up as 2009 winds down.

Dear Debt Adviser,