By CLAUDIA BUCK, Sacramento Bee

When it comes to investment fraud, the perpetrators chase the news.
After 9/11, it was phony anti-terrorism technology. During the housing boom, it was real-estate scams. A year ago, it was "green technology" swindles. Today, amid a financially stressed economy, it's "prime bank" and other high-yield, quick-money quackery.

The economy got you gripped in its clutches? Feeling stressed out by the endless news of layoffs, buyouts and bankruptcies?
A San Francisco creative agency has just the fix: Squeeze-the-Banker dolls.

When it comes to New Year's resolutions, Kathy Johnson of Sacramento, Calif. has two simple money-savers in mind: "to get out of debt and pay off all my credit cards."
Johnson, a single mother, said her debts have accelerated due to health issues, unexpected veterinary bills and mounting interest charges.

No surprise: This year's economic free fall has intensified everyone's anxieties about money.
And in a culture where self-esteem often gets wrapped up in what we buy or what we own -- the biggest house, the coolest car, the sleekest wardrobe, the latest tech toys -- many people find it difficult to get a handle on their financial "issues."

'Tis the season for making merry. Or in some cases making mischief, especially on the Web.
Whether you're shopping online or just checking your personal e-mail, don't get financially fooled this holiday season.

Financial resources for college freshmen:- "Dollars & Sense," an online program sponsored by the California Society of CPAs, is packed with money management skills for college students, including saving, investing and avoiding credit card debt. www.calcpa.org

Academics. Social life. Roommate drama. Food. (Lots of food).Amid all that's crammed inside the cranium of a college freshman, there's one priority that's often overlooked: Money.As in how to save it, spend it, budget it. Many students - and their parents - are getting a first taste of financial independence.

When Air Force Tech. Sgt. Larry Kight was a young recruit eight years ago, he got his first taste of an enemy he hadn't reckoned with: money.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- When Bonnie Garcia opened the official-looking letter in her home mailbox, she was bothered. It was a letter from U.S. Claims Services, a Bakersfield company, saying she had unclaimed money sitting with the state of California. For a small fee, it promised to help her obtain the funds from the state Controller's Office.

Summer's here: Time for basking on the beach with a good book. With so many of us in "staycation" vacation mode, that may mean traveling no farther than the backyard and plunking down with a meaty best-seller or a riveting murder mystery.Amid these queasy, uneasy economic times, why not indulge in some financial brain food, as well?