“When your dream appears as an opportunity, you must have ready cash to take it home with you.”

- Anonymous

Welcome to Money-Smarts, MsMoney.com's weekly newsletter of financial facts, features, and tools. Money-Smarts is designed to provide quick and useful information to help secure your financial future. Enjoy, and tell a friend about MsMoney.com!

In This Week's Issue:

• Market Summary for Friday, June 16, 2000
• Tips for the Week: Daily Advice to Help Get You Through the Week
• Read the Latest: Is Internet Banking Private? (Part One)
• Run the Numbers: Should You Consolidate Your Debt?

Market Summary for Friday, June 16:

Close

Net Change

Percent Change

DJIA

10449.30

-265.52

-2.48%

NASDAQ

3860.56

+14.82

+0.39%

S&P 500

14464.46

-14.27

-0.97%

30-Year Bond

5.87%%

-0.05

N/A

Source: Reuters

Tips for the Week: Daily Advice to Help Get You Through the Week

Monday: To combat inflation risk, consider investing in growth-oriented securities. Just how large a portion you should invest in equities is best determined by your investment goals, time horizon, and tolerance for market risk. Learn more about investing in stocks.

Tuesday: Buy disability insurance. Although it can be expensive (between 1-3% of your income), it's necessary protection: 1 in 8 people will suffer from a severe disability during their lifetime. Learn more about disability insurance.

Wednesday: You probably already know you should have a will. But there are other legal documents that may prove to be just as valuable to your estate plan--a durable power of attorney, living will, and health care power of attorney. Learn more about estate planning.

Thursday: In a rising housing market, you should own your home for at least 2 years before selling. If you sell within 2 years, your profits will be subject to capital gains tax. Learn more about buying a house.

Friday: Max out your 401(k) plan, if possible. 401(k)s are a great way to grow your retirement savings tax-deferred, and the benefits are even greater if your employer matches all or part of your contribution. Learn more about 401(k) plans.

Read the Latest: Is Internet Banking Private? (Part One)

By Gail Rickards

This is the first of a two-part article on privacy issues related to online banking. Every person has her own definition of what constitutes an invasion of privacy, and we all want to determine what and with whom personal information is shared. The handling of private information in the internet space is particularly complex and increasingly controversial.

The place to start talking about information sharing is with a background discussion about...information.

In Control In Cyberspace?

On the Internet, information about us--what Web sites we go to and how often, what topics, products, and services interest us, what we put in our shopping carts (and if we buy or abandon the cart's contents), and where we go next--is tracked. This is called "click-stream data" and, yes, it is collected and analyzed.

Personally, I've never been asked for my permission before this kind of information is gathered; in fact, I didn't even know it was happening when I first started using the Internet. So much for thinking I had control over what personal information strangers have about me! More-->

Run the Numbers: Should You Consolidate Your Debt?

Figure out the difference in your monthly payments and the amount of tax savings you might receive by consolidating your debt.

Questions

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