Best Business Books
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December 7, 2002
Why worry about the alternative minimum tax? Because it will affect one in three Americans by 2010, according to a new report. Find out why on this edition of Sound Money. Consumer confidence bounced back in November, and shoppers flocked to the stores over the Thanksgiving holiday. Does that change retail analysts dismal holiday shopping forecasts? Learn more when Stephanie Curtis and Chris Farrell examine how much our economy depends on this retailing season. Chris talks with Businessweek book editor Hardy Green about the best business books from 2002, and Erica Whittlinger says it's not too late to reduce your tax bill this year.

• INTERVIEW #1: William Gale, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and co-director of the Tax Policy Center, talks about why the alternative minimum tax will affect one in three taxpayers by the end of the decade.
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• INTERVIEW #2: Consumer confidence was up in November. Does that change retail analysts dismal holiday shopping forecasts? Find out when we talk with Kurt Barnard, president of Barnard's Retail Consulting Group.
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• INTERVIEW #3: Business Week book editor Hardy Green runs down the top 10 business and economics books of 2002.
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• ERICA TELLS IT LIKE IT IS: This week our in-house investment expert Erica Whittlinger shares last-minute tips to cut your 2002 tax bill.
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• LISTENER QUESTIONS: Chris Farrell answers listeners' questions. Will working abroad after retirement hurt your Social Security benefits? Find out during Chris' call-in segment.
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• THE NEWS AND VIEWS WITH CHRIS FARRELL: Save - Don't Spend - This Holiday Season
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• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast
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The Investing Detective
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December 14, 2002
What can fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes teach us about investing? Find out this week on Sound Money. David Tice's Prudent Bear fund is up fifty percent this year. Learn how he does it. Erica Whittlinger tells us how refinancing your home will affect your taxes for better or worse, and a Washington insider discusses President Bush's new economic team. Join Stephanie Curtis and Chris Farrell for Sound Money.

• INTERVIEW #1: Maya MacGuineas, economist at the New America Foundation, talks about President Bush's economic team.
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• INTERVIEW #2: David Tice, whose Prudent Bear mutual fund is up 57 percent, tells us why he thinks the Dow is headed to 3,000.
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• ERICA TELLS IT LIKE IT IS: This week our in-house investment expert, Erica Whittlinger, tells us how mortgage refinancing can both help and hinder when it comes to taxes.
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• INTERVIEW #3: What can fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes teach us about investing? Find out when we speak with Robert Hagstrom, author of Detective and the Investor: Uncovering Investment Techniques from the Legendary Sleuths.
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• LISTENER QUESTIONS: Chris Farrell answers listeners' questions. Why invest in the long run in companies that don't pay dividends? Find out during this call-in segment.
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• THE NEWS AND VIEWS WITH CHRIS FARRELL: The Price of War
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• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast
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Taking Care of Aging Parents
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December 21, 2002
This time on Sound Money we talk about the sandwich generation. Can you afford to take care of aging loved ones and send your children to college? Plus, Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything, talks to Stephanie Curtis about planning a great holiday spread on a budget. And two economists share their outlook for the markets in 2003.

• INTERVIEW #1: Chris Cooper, certified financial planner and founder and president of ElderCare Advocates, talks about the challenges the sandwich generation faces when trying to talk about money and plan for taking care of aging loved ones.
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• INTERVIEW #2: Economists Jim Paulsen and Diane Swonk share their forecasts for market performance in 2003.
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• ERICA TELLS IT LIKE IT IS: This week our in-house investment expert Erica Whittlinger tells us how to determine if you own too much of one stock.
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• LISTENER QUESTIONS: Chris Farrell answers listeners' questions. Find out during this call-in segment.
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• INTERVIEW #3: The Minimalist cookbook author Mark Bittman helps host Stephanie Curtis plan holiday meals and hors d’oeuvres on a budget.
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• THE NEWS AND VIEWS WITH CHRIS FARRELL: Keep Guiding Principles Near and Dear
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• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast
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Getting your Financial Life in Order
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December 28, 2002 (rebroadcast March 22, 2003)
This week on Sound Money, we'll learn strategies for getting your financial house in order. Find out how to analyze what money means to you and to choose a financial planner you can trust. Plus investing principles for any market. Getting to the heart of what really matters on the next Sound Money.

• INTERVIEW #1: Executive coach, author, and president of Professional Planning Associates Pamela Klainer says it’s important to know what money means to you before you spend your entire life trying to make it and save it.
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• ERICA TELLS IT LIKE IT IS: This week, our in-house investment expert explains why determining net worth is an important part of your financial picture.
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• INTERVIEW #2: Certified financial planner Ross Levin shares his step-by-step guide to finding a financial planner you can trust.
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• COMMENTARY: Personal finance writer Eric Tyson says it’s OK not to know the exact amount of cash in your checking account.
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• LISTENER QUESTIONS: Chris Farrell answers listeners' questions. What is a reverse mortgage? Find out during this call-in segment.
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• THE NEWS AND VIEWS WITH CHRIS FARRELL: Sound Money Principles
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• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast
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