Simplify
Your
Financial
Life

12 Moves
To Make
In a Tough
Economy

Smart Money
SEPTEMBER 2008
..
SmartMoney
VOL. XVII-NO. IX
simplify
    your financial
dealings as
much as you can.
-"Simplify Your Life;' page 61

CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER 2008

Simplify Your Life Americans have too many bills, too many retirement
plans and too much clutter, all of which make a rough economy even
more stressful. We offer 12 tips for streamlining your life—and profiting
along the way. by Janet Paskin and Brad Reagan
"`' ` Vanishing Legacy Several million Americans suffer from some form
of dementia. As if that weren't enough, their loved ones are finding that the illness wreaks havoc on the family finances, too. by Roya Wolverson
.` Ready for a Recharge The government's efforts to stimulate the
 economy are going to benefit some savvy companies. We found four stocks
ready to capitalize on a rebound. by Russell Pearlman and Roya Wolverson
 Buffett's Best Man For 43 years Charlie Munger has been Warren Buffett's silent partner—and, some say, the secret to his success. In an exclusive interview, Munger tells us how the markets got into their current mess and how investors can keep their heads above water. by Dyan Machan
 Wheeling and Dealing With auto sales at their lowest level in 13 years
and high gas prices chasing customers off the lot, new-car deals are plentiful. But getting a bargain on the luxury side can be tougher. We test-drive the wheels and the deals. by Daren Fonda
Ten Things Millionaires Won't Tell You They might drive fancy cars, but they also hunt for discounts and worry about retirement. by Daren Fonda

Off-Season Confidential
Sure, off-peak trips let you save a bundle and avoid the crowds. But did your travel agent happen to mention that most of the local restaurants would be closed or that construction workers might spoil your afternoon siesta?
 The Write Stuff
This may be the age of instant messaging, but people are still in the market for good old-fashioned ink. Bermuda's Premier Ewart Brown tests a handful of fountain pens and signs off on the best one.
Food & Wine
Leading wine critics are gushing so much over the 201 vintage, you'd think they've been swallowing instead of spitting. The SMARTMONEY wine panel convenes f a taste test.
Smart Consumer
How to make sure your money's safe—without kef it under your mattress. Plus: cutting college costs.
in every issue
 16 Editor's Page 15 Investments in This Issue 18 Letters

COVER: Photograph by Evan Kafka; grooming by Nancy Sprague



CONTENTS

21 The Pulverized PIE
This reliable metric isn't so helpful in today's market.
24 Fund Watch
An absolute-return fund sounds great—but the moniker is meaningless.
26 CEO Interview
Toll Brothers' Robert Toll on fixing the housing market.
28 Midcap Watch
No credit? No problemRent-A-Center is here.
30 Face-Off
Motorola: Time to redial?
34 401(k) Watch
Workers still have too much of their employers' stock.
35 Update
Our green portfolio went up, then down. But stay with us.
Breakout Ideas Hundreds of thousand but in many industries only the innovator inspiration can be an escape route from

Coluimnsts

48 Common Sense
A crisis can be an opportunity or
  be a real mess. How to tell the difference. by James B. Stewart
50 The New Retirement
    Retirement U: College towns
 offer more than just classes
    to audit. by Peter Keating
Toll on   
54 Unconventional Wisdom
    The presidential election
    offers the starkest choice in
years on economic issues.
    by Roger Lowenstein
56 Stockscreen
 Who will make a killing on the electric car? by Jack Hough
  114 Tough Customer
 
I thousands of small businesses launch every year, innovators survive. We look at how a burst
from corporate drudgery, beginning on page 39.

 
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