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March 23, 2003
PERSONALFINANCE WALLSTREET STOCKS MUTUALFUNDS MARKETS
Today’s headlines
Helen Huntley: Modifying your mortgage less expensive than refinancing
What sounds too good to be true usually is. However, some lucky homeowners have access to a deal that not only sounds great but actually is: mortgage modification.
Fewer workers contributing to IRAs for 2002
Workers still have time to stash money in an individual retirement account as a contribution for 2002, but early indications are that more than usual have decided to take a pass this year.
Declining dollar makes foreign investments lucrative
Investors putting their money into foreign funds in the past year have been richly rewarded. Market watchers say the trend is far from over.
Biz bits
-- Stock dividends are back in vogue with investors and corporate America, Smart Money says in its March issue. It says the percentage of corporate profits paid to investors by Standard and Poor's 500 companies rose in 2002 for the first time in three years. The current dividend yield -- a measure of dividend payout -- is a low 1.8 percent compared with 5.7 percent in 1980. But the magazine says the return to investors actually is higher now because of low inflation rates.
Flight into the red
Major airlines got into a financial quagmire through basic supply and demand: too many seats and too few passengers willing to pay full fare. Many carriers are experimenting with simpler fare structures to try to stimulate sales.
Ten tips: Protect yourself when planning plastic surgery
More and more people are turning to cosmetic surgery each year in an effort to look better and feel better about themselves. While most cosmetic surgeons are qualified to do their jobs safely and effectively, reports do surface about phony doctors offering procedures that can cause serious disfigurement. Here's how to protect yourself.
Money panel: Peter Ryan
Retired building contractor, 57, Belleair Beach
Latest business news
Monday's Metal Prices
Skilling, Lay optimistic as testimony ends
Wachovia shares fall on Golden West deal
GAO: Sarbanes-Oxley costs high for cos.
London's FTSE-100 index closes down 24.6
Calif. attorney general files fourth suit
Rigas sentencings reset for April
Plaintiffs in insurance fraud lawsuit
Health insurance plans claim vast fraud
American Eagle 3Q profit rises, sales slip
Banks earn $2.8B in 3Q; insurance fund in the red
Medtronic 2Q profit rises 59 percent on sales
Heinz 2Q profit falls, but sales improve
Hormel 4Q profit rises 50 percent, but sales slip
Headlines from
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Our annual report rates the 50 most successful public companies in the Tampa Bay area. Who's shaping our economy and why. 