Personal Finance

By HOLDEN LEWIS
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
In 1984, a nuclear engineer named Stanley Watras set off the radiation alarms at his office at the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant in Pennsylvania. The source of his contamination was not his workplace, but his home, which was built on a vein of uranium.

Thursday, October 26, 2006
What is accelerated vesting? Moving up the date at which employees can exercise their options.

Why did companies do it? To avoid recording previously issued options that had not yet vested as expenses on their income statements.

By KATHLEEN PENDER
Monday, October 30, 2006
Companies say they dole out stock options to attract, retain and motivate employees.

Yet, in another example of dubious options practices, 887 companies threw out the retention factor by accelerating vesting requirements during the past two years, according to Jack Ciesielski, publisher of the Analyst's Accounting Observer newsletter.

By STEVE BUCCI
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Dear Debt Adviser,

I have thought about taking out $50,000 out of my 401(k) to pay off my second mortgage. My thought behind this is that I will be paying myself the interest rather than the bank.

By MARILYN BOWDEN
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Households made up of several generations are on the rise, and it's not just about Grandma and Grandpa needing more assistance in their sunset years.

By KATHLEEN PENDER
Monday, October 23, 2006
Shortly after the World Trade Center disaster and the subsequent anthrax scare, speculators started pouring money into companies that might benefit from the war on terror.

In late 2001, I wrote several columns about these stocks, saying that if you wanted to start a terror-age mutual fund, they'd be a good place to start.

Five years later, only a few of the 21 companies I identified back then have benefited directly from the war on terror, although many of their stocks have held up.

By STEVE BUCCI
Monday, October 23, 2006
Dear Debt Adviser,

I was laid off from my job a year and a half ago. I got another job, but it doesn't pay as much. My husband and I are not able to keep up with our debt now.

By HOLDEN LEWIS
Monday, October 23, 2006
A mortgage called the option ARM offers a tantalizing possibility: payments that are so low, you can owe more on the house at the end of the month than at the beginning.

Option adjustable-rate mortgages are appropriate for some borrowers in certain circumstances, and they're dangerous for other people because of the danger of falling too far into debt.

By ALAN S. NOVICK
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Dear Mr. Novick:

I am in the process of making an estate plan, including a health care surrogate, a living will declaration, and last will and testament.

By STEVE BUCCI
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
President Bush recently signed the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Why does The Debt Adviser care?

Good question. Well, there were several unrelated provisions attached to the bill that became law.