By KATHLEEN PENDER, San Francisco Chronicle

A closer look at Ponzi schemes

Ponzi schemes come in all shapes and sizes, and they seem to keep coming and coming.

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Should investors still be wary of the stock market?

It would be nice to think the stock market couldn't possibly take another drubbing like it did last year, when the Dow lost almost 34 percent.
While back-to-back losses are not common, they do happen.
Since the 1920s, the Dow has fallen in two or more consecutive years four times: in 1929 through 1932, in 1939 through 1941, in 1973 and 1974, and in 2000 through 2002.

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Congress eases rules on IRA distributions

Congress passed a bill in December to suspend, for 2009 only, the rule that requires some people to withdraw a certain percentage from their tax-deferred retirement accounts each year.

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What investors can learn from Madoff scandal

What can investors learn from the Bernie Madoff scandal?
It's not clear exactly how Madoff allegedly bilked wealthy and supposedly sophisticated investors out of $50 billion in a Ponzi scheme.

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Pender: Soft landings in home loan crash

Having trouble paying your mortgage?
The public and private sectors keep coming up with foreclosure prevention programs, and last week, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke urged them to devise even more.
Unfortunately, no two programs are alike and the rules keep changing.

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Changes to IRA distribution rules considered

If you are 70 1/2 or older, should you take the minimum required distribution from your retirement accounts this year?

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Are you an idiot to keep paying your mortgage?

Should you keep paying your mortgage?If you have significant equity in your home, absolutely.If you don't, it's getting harder to answer that question, especially when our government keeps giving people who owe more than their homes are worth so many reasons not to pay.

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How will Obama's tax plans work in this economy?

On the campaign trail, Barack Obama proposed more than a dozen tax changes that would affect individuals. The net effect would be to raise taxes on higher-income people and reduce them for low- and middle-income ones.

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Note to Obama, here's a to-do list for the economy

One of Barack Obama's most crucial and challenging jobs in the White House will be stabilizing the economy and re-engineering the financial system.What do financial and economic experts put at the top of the next president's to-do list? Here are some ideas:- Restore calm

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