in Ihis issueI POSTMASTER: Publication ...Periodicals Mail I Lock in heating oil

L nePERSONALVOLUME 29 NUMBER 13. JULY I, 2008

Revival of the one-yearTreasury bill provides an

alternative to certificates of deposit(CDs), we hear from bond expertMarilyn Cohen. The Treasury stoppedissuing one-year Treasuries sevenyears ago, when it cut back on bor-rowing amid a budget surplus, butit has started offering them again.Their recent yield was 2.2%. UnlikeCDs, interest on Treasuries is exemptfrom state and local taxes. You canbuy Treasury bills directly at www.treasurydirect.gov or through a bankor broker.

Marilyn Cohen is president and CEOof Envision Capital Management, Inc., LosAngeles, and author of The Bond Bible (Pren-tice Hall). www.envisioncap.com

Better way to control highblood pressure, reports Ken-

neth A. Jamerson, MD. A pill thatcombines a diuretic and the ACEinhibitor benazepri/ ... or a pill thatcombines benazepri/ with the cal-cium channel blocker am/odipine.Eighty percent of people taking ei-ther combination had blood pressurereduced to an acceptable range.

Kenneth A. Jamerson, MO, is a professorof internal medicine at University of Michi-gan Medical School, Ann Arbor, and leaderof a study of 10,700 patients, reported to anAmerican College of Cardiology ScientificSession.

Fund opportunity: Putting10% of your fixed-income allo-

cation into a high-yield (junk) bondfund now makes sense, says invest-ment adviser Ronald Roge, CFP.Actions by the Federal Reserve toease the credit crisis have helped thehard-hit junk bond market recoversomewhat, and that should continueas the economy bottoms out. Favor-ite junk bond funds now: PIMCOHigh Yield Fund (PHDAX) ... T. RowePrice High Yield Fund (PRHYX) ...Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund(VWEHX).

Ronald Roge, CFP, is CEO of RW. Roge& Company, Inc., a wealth-management firm,Bohemia, New York. www.rwroge.com

2 Publisher's note: When pets causetension at home

3 HOW TO BOUNCE BACK FROMMONEY MISFORTUNES

5 Why some real estate funds arebooming

9 AMAZING POWER OFAFFIRMATIONS

11 Update from Harvard: Should youget the SHINGLES VACCINE?

12 A "smarter" computer password

13 Driving safely in summer storms

14 Surprising secrets to better tennis

FOODSPROVEN

TO FIGHTCANCER

Up to one-third of all cancerscould be prevented if peopleadopted healthier lifestyles,including eating healthier

foods. For even better odds, choosethese seven specific foods that havebeen proven to prevent cancer. ..

CABBAGEIt's high in anticarcinogeniccompounds called glucosino-lates. Raw cabbage, particular-

ly when it is fermented as sauerkraut,also is a good source of indole-3-carbinol(I3C), a substance that promotes theelimination of carcinogens from thebody.

The Polish Women's Health Study,which looked at hundreds of Polishwomen in the US, found that thosewho had eaten four or more servingsper week of raw, lightly cooked or fer-mented cabbage during adolescencewere 72% less likely to develop breastcancer than women who had eaten onlyone-and-a-half servings per week. Highconsumption of cabbage during adult-hood also provided significant protec-tion even if little cabbage was eaten ata young age.

Recommended: Three or more one-half-cup servings per week of cabbage,cooked or raw.

Alternatives: Any cruciferous veg-

David Grotto, RD, LDNNutrition Housecall, LLC

etable, including brussels sprouts, cau-liflower, kale and broccoli. A recentstudy found that men who ate at leastthree servings per week of broccoli orother cruciferous vegetables were 41 %less likely to get prostate cancer thanmen who ate less than one serving perweek. Kimchi, a Korean pickled dishthat is similar to sauerkraut, also is agood choice.

FLAXSEEDS..., Little seeds with a nutty fla-~ vor, flaxseeds contain lignans,

-"'" compounds that act like a weakform of estrogen. One study found thatwomen with high levels of enterolac-tone (linked to a high intake oflignans)had a 58% lower risk for breast can-cer. Flaxseeds also contain omega-3fatty acids, which appear to inhibitcolon cancer in both men and women.

Recommended: One to two table-spoons of ground flaxseed daily .•.Bottom Line/Personal interviewed David

Grotto, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian and for-mer spokesperson for the American Dietetic As-sociation. He is founder and president ofN utritionHousecall, LLC, a Chicago-area consulting firmspecializing in family nutrition pro-grams. He serves on the scientific I

advisory board of Men's Health, iwrites the "Ask the Guy-a-titian"column for Chicago WellnessMaga-zine and is author of 101Foods ThatCould Save Your Life (Bantam).

•.•. you can sprinkle it on cereal oryogurt or add it to soups or stews.

Alternatives: Two or more servingsper week of cold-water fish, such as

publishersnote

mackerel ot salmon, provide cancer-fighting amounts of omega-3s. Formore lignans: Eat walnuts, and cookwith canola oil.

When Pets Cause Tension at Home

My husband wasn't keen on get-ting a new dog. But when mychildren and I wanted one so

desperately after our last dog died, weagreed that the rest of us would do allof the feeding and walking and scoop-ing and that he would have to fill inonly "in an emergency:' This agreementhas definitely prevented the stress weexperienced with our last dog (whichwas sweet but high maintenance).

As in my family, pets can be belovedbut also a source of tension. Sometimesthis tension is caused by an animal'sbehavioral issues, which may requiretraining-but more often, it is the petowners, not the pets, who have issuesto resolve.

Here is relationship advice from JoelGavriele-Gold, PhD, a psychoanalyst inprivate practice in New York City whospecializes in pet-related issues. He isauthor of When Pets Come BetweenPartners (www.drjoelgold.com) ...

Avoid "me or the pet" ultimatums-particularly with dog owners. Dog own-ers sometimes choose the dog andend the relationship. Those who dogive up their dogs often become soresentful that the relationship suffers.Forcing your partner to get rid of a petis likely to add tension rather than solveyour problems.

Put your partner's treatment of thepet in context. One spouse wants topamper the pet ... the other does not. Ifyou can understand the reason behindthe differences, you will be better ableto find a compromise.

Example: A wife grew up an onlychild, wishing that she had siblings.Her husband, one of eight children,grew up wishing for privacy. It wasunderstandable that the wife wantedher cat to sleep in the bedroom, whileher husband wanted it kept out. Theircompromise: The cat would be lockedout of the bedroom on Tuesdays and

Thursdays but allowed inon other nights.

Consider whether thepet is picking up on your (or yourpartner's) emotions. A pet mightsense the hostility between partners,choose sides and act out against onespouse.Example: A couple's dog growled

at the wife and urinated next to herside of the bed after the family movedfrom New Hampshire to New York. Thehusband reasoned that the dog missedits collie "girlfriend" in New Hampshire.In truth, the husband missed his owngirlfriend in New Hampshire and ar-gued frequently with his wife after themove. The dog picked up on this angerand took the husband's side.

This couple eventually divorced, butpartners who are willing to confronttheir anger issues often find that theirpet problems are solved as well.

Check the facts before claimingthat a pet dominates your partner'slife. A spouse sometimes believes thatthe family pet gets more attention thanhe/she does. Often, though, the com-plaining partner has unresolved issuesregarding control or attention.Example: A man wanted his girl-

friend to get rid of her Yorkshire terri-ers, which he said dominated her life.The real problem was that this manwas worried he wasn't the center ofattention. He had felt ignored as a childbecause a disabled older sibling hadrequired most of his parents' time.

This couple broke up, but for othercouples in similar situations, it's impor-tant to understand what the real issueis and to ask your partner for the empa-thy and nurturing that you need.

MUSHROOMS

The common white buttonmushroom found in super-

markets contains anticancercompounds. Scientists who comparedvegetable extracts in the lab foundthat an extract made from white but-ton mushrooms was the most effec-tive at blocking aromatase, an enzymethat promotes breast cancer. Buttonmushrooms also appear to suppress thegrowth of prostate cancer cells.

Recommended: One-half cup ofbutton mushrooms, three or four timesper week.Alternatives: Porcinis or chanterelles,

wild mushrooms with a nuttier taste.

OLIVES

~~~ A Spanish laboratory studytI. found that two compounds in

olives-maslinic acid and olea-nolic acid-inhibit the proliferation ofcancer cells and promote apoptosis, thedeath of these cells. Other studies sug-gest that people who eat olives as part ofa classic Mediterranean diet have lowerrates of a variety of cancers, includingcolon cancer.

Recommended: Eight olives a day,green or black.Alternative: One to two tablespoons

of extra-virgin olive oil daily. Drizzleit on salad or vegetables to enhanceabsorption of their healthy nutrients.

ONIONS

When researchers compared the10 vegetables most frequentlyconsumed in the US, onions had

the third-highest level of phenolic com-pounds, which are thought to be amongthe most potent anticancer substancesfound in foods.

In a Finnish study, men who fre-quently ate onions, apples and otherfoods high in quercetin (a phenolic com-pound) were .---------------------60% less likely todevelop lungcancer than menwho ate smalleramounts. Quer-cetin also appearsto reduce the riskfor liver and co-lon cancers.

Recommended: One-half cup ofonions, cooked or raw, three timesper week. Yellow and red onionscontain the most cancer-preventingsubstances.

Alternatives: Apples, capers andgreen and black tea, all of which arehigh in quercetin. Garlic, a botanicalrelative of onions, provides many of thesame active ingredients.

PUMPKIN

Pumpkin, like all winter squash,is extremely high in carot-enoids, including beta-carotene.

A long-running Japanese study thatlooked at more than 57,000 partici-pants found that people who ate themost pumpkin had lower rates of gas-tric, breast, lung and colorectal cancers.There also is some evidence that pump-kin seeds can help reduce the risk forprostate cancer.

Recommended: Three or more one-half-cup servings per week. Pumpkincan be baked like any winter squash.(To learn how to make Roasted Pump-kins with Pink Potatoes, go to www.BottomLineSecrets.com/Pumpkin. )

Alternatives: Carrots, broccoli andall of the winter squashes, includingacorn, butternut and spaghetti squash.

RASPBERRIES

All of the foods that end with"erry" -including cherry, blue-

berry and strawberry-contain anti-in-flammatory compounds that reduce celldamage that can lead to cancer. Rasp-berries are higher in fiber than mostberries and are an excellent source ofellagic acid and selenium, both of whichprotect against a variety of cancers.

Recent studies have shown thatraspberries (or raspberry extract) in-hibit both oral and liver cancer cells.The responses in these studies weredose-dependent-the more raspberryextract used, the greater the effect.

Recommended: One-and-a-halfcups of raspberries, two or three timesper week.

Alternative: Cherries (and cherryjuice) contain about as much ellagicacid as raspberries. Frozen berries andcherries, which contain less water, pro-vide a higher concentration of protec-tive compounds than fresh ones .••

. PERSONAL~

HOW TOBounce BackFrom MoneyMisfortunes

you can better cope with moneymisfortunes if you know in ad-vance the major steps to take.

How to handle six common financialchallenges ...• You can't pay monthly bills be-cause of unexpected expenses.Take action as soon as the problembecomes apparent. Waiting until pay-ments are past due and collection agen-cies are involved will only make thingsworse.

Divide your expenses into threecategories ...

o Expenses that cannot be delayed.Example: Insurance premiums.

o Expenses that might be deferrableif the lender agrees. Examples: Mort-gage and car loans.

o Expenses that are discretionary.Examples: Eating out and new clothes.

First, eliminate all discretionaryspending. Second, contact mortgageand auto loan providers. Explain thatyou had an unexpected expense andrequest "forbearance." Propose a spe-cific payment plan that would makeyour debt manageable. Mortgage andauto loan companies do not want to getstuck with your house or car, so theyoften will be flexible.

Example: A 32-year-old man faced$3,200 in travel and burial expensesafter the death of his uncle. His mort-gage lender agreed to accept interest-only payments for three months.

• You can't pay a large, uncoveredmedical bill. Explain your financialsituation to the hospital's or doctor'sbilling department, and ask to set upa payment plan that fits your budget.

Next, speak to hospital social workersand local family service charities to seeif any grants or loans are available topeople in your situation. Ask familymembers and employers for financialassistance-big companies sometimeshave emergency loan or hardship grantmoney available to help employees.

If you have health insurance but yourinsurer will not cover the bill, get a spe-cific explanation of why. If the insur-ance company claims a treatment wasnot necessary, ask your doctor to writea letter stating why it was necessary.There are multiple levels of appeal pos-sible if your first request is denied.

Example: A 58-year-old widow washit with a five-figure bill when her in-surance company claimed a colon can-cer treatment was not necessary. Shenegotiated a $200-per-month paymentplan with the hospital. Then she askedher doctor to write a letter explainingwhy the procedure was necessary. Herinsurer eventually agreed to pay a largeportion of the bill. She paid off the re-maining debt in less than 18 months.• You're dropped by your home-owner's insurance company. Un-fo rtunatel y, insurers disco n tin uevarious policies-especially homeown-er's policies-all the time for all sons ~Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Stephen

M. Pollan, a New York City-based attorney,financial adviser and career counselor. He is aformer assistant professor of finance at c.w. PostSchool of Business and former CNBC on-airpersonal finance expert. He is co-author of several books, includingDie Broke:A R:tdical Four-Part Finan-cial Plan (Collins) and Lifelines forMoney Misfortunes: How to OvercomeLife's Greatest Challenges (Wiley).www.stephenpollan.com

PURPOSE:To bring you the best information from the most knowl-edgeable sources in the world. To help you gain greater wealth,better health, more wisdom, extra time and increased happiness.To present this information in an easy-to-read format, free fromthe influence of advertising.

Editor: Karen Astrid Larson _ Managing Editor: Kelli McCourtPersonal Finance Editor: Harry BerkowitzTax Editor: David Ellis. Senior Editor: Christopher J. PlattSenior Research Editor: Sheila NievesResearch Editors: David Boyer, Marilyn KnowltonContributing Writers: Janet Bailey, Mark J. Estren, PhD,Mark Stuart Gill, James Glass, Esq., William Gottlieb,Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, RD, Matthew Hoffman,Malcolm Katt, Donald Korn, Susan Lewis, Stan Luxenberg,Richard A. Marini, Debra Markell, Jeffrey Marsh, PhD,Lynn O'Shaughnessy, Margaret Price, Patricia Ranson,Michael Robbins, Carl ShermanDesign Director: Sandy Krolick _ Art Director: Danita AlbertEditorial Artists: Sondra Limebumer, Douglas ThomContributing Illustrators: Charles Barsotti, Stuart Goldenberg,Igor Kopelnitsky, Bernard Schoenbaum, Alex lianiInternet Director (www.BottomLineSecrets.com):PhiliisWombleEditorial Director: Steven D. KayePublisher: Marjory AbramsChairman: Martin Edelston

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_ BOTTOM UNEfPERSONAL publishes the opinions of expertauthori-ties in many fields. But the use of these opinions is no substitutefor legal, accounting, investment, medical and other professionalservices to suit your specific personal needs. Always consult a compe-tent professional for answers to your specific questions.

~ ~ of reasons. Do not bother trying toget the decision reversed-that almostnever works-but do make sure you aregiven the grace period guaranteed byyour contract before it is terminated.Then ask your accountant, attorney orreal estate agent to recommend an in-surance broker. Unlike insuranceagents, insurance brokers work withmany different insurance companiesand can help you find the best rates.They often have access to better policyinformation than you can find quicklyon-line.

The policies available to you mightbe considerably more expensive thanyour old coverage. Ask your broker forcost-cutting strategies. Increasing thesize of copayments and deductibles of-ten can dramatically reduce premiums.Increase the size of your emergencyfund as well, in case you need to pay alarge deductible later.• A parent dies with bills out-standing. Carefully go through yourdeceased parent's papers, and constructa list of assets and liabilities. Keep aneye peeled for any life insurance poli-cies or evidence of safe-deposit boxes.(For example, the check register in yourparent's checkbook might list ongoingpayments to an insurance company or abank.) Destroy credit cards, and cancelthe accounts.

When bills arrive, write "deceased"on them and send them back, with acopy of the death certificate. If bill col-lectors call, explain that the estate willdeal with the deceased's debts once thefunds are in the executor's control. Re-peat this as often as necessary. Surviv-ing family members are not responsiblefor a deceased parent's debts (unless thedebt stems from a joint account with asurviving spouse or family member).Some debts will have to be paid out ofthe parent's estate, but waiting untilthat stage will at least allow you to sortout financial obligations first. Secureddebts, such as auto loans signed by onlythe deceased, that are not paid off bythe estate will result in repossession.• Your adult child needs financialhelp. First consider your own finances.Would solving your child's financialproblem create a financial problem foryou? Would it significantly affect your

retirement plans? If you are consideringmaking a loan, rather than a gift, calcu-late how your finances would be affectedif this loan were not repaid. Many loansto relatives never are repaid.•If you cannot afford to make the loan,

explain to your child that you love him/her but cannot give money that you donot have to spare.•If you decide to help, first insist on

having a conversation with the adultchild about budgets, spending andsaving. Explain what he needs to dodifferently financially. Next, determineexactly how large a gift or loan he needsto make ends meet and how much youcan afford to give. Make it clear thatthis is a onetime loan or gift, not an on-going line of credit. If the gift is sizable,

Key Steps forCoping withMoney Problems

The following steps can help youget through most money chal-lenges ...

I. Accept the problem. It has hap-pened, and you can't change it. Blam-ing others or yourself will not bringyou any closer to a solution. Lookingback and longing for the way thingswere will only extend your pain.

2. Unburden yourself to others.Resist the urge to be stoic. Tell otherswhat has happened, and you won'tfeel so alone. If you say, "I need help;'people often will try to help.

3. Diagnose the impact. List onpaper the tangible effects that thisevent will have on your life. Writingthis list helps you separate the finan-cial impact of the disaster from itsemotional impact. Once the emotionalbaggage is separated out, the finan-cial problem most likely will seem lessdaunting.

4. Select a financial course ofaction. List your assets and borrow-ing options, and then list your financialliabilities. Look for expenses that canbe cut from your budget.

5. Cultivate "disaster antibod-ies." Consider this disaster a form oftraining. The experience will not be allbad-it will help you learn to respondbetter to future challenges.

inform your other children that the giftwill be taken into consideration whenyou divide your assets in your will. Thiswill prevent concerns about inequity.

Important: Deciding whether toassist your adult child financially coulddrive a wedge between you and yourspouse. Agree in advance to makethis decision as a team.• You lose your job. If your em-ployer insists that you sign a releaseform in order to receive your sever-ance package, don't do it right away.It often is possible to get better sever-ance terms through negotiation. Thesenegotiations can be quite simple-whatever the company offers, ask formore.

o If you have a good relationship withsomeone high up in your company, askthat person to put in a good word foryou with the human resources depart-ment regarding your severance package.Insist on credit for unused vacation daysand a prorated portion of any annualbonus. Ask if you can keep your com-pany car and/or laptop until you fmd anew job. Request continuation of healthinsurance benefits. If continued benefitsare not available, see if you are eligibleto continue coverage under the Consoli-dated Omnibus Budget ReconciliationAct (COBRA), the program that allowsformer employees to payout of pocketto continue their benefits for up to 18months. COBRA coverage may be ex-pensive, but it can be a vital bridge untilyou arrange other coverage.

oDetermine how longyou can continuepaying your bills out of your savings andseverance pay, and decide what resourcesyou will tap next if you have not foundanother job by the time this money runsout. Will you liquidate investments?Borrow from family members?

o If need be, consider taking a job thatyou normally wouldn't to keep moneycoming in, even if it has no connectionto your previous experience. Sometimesthese "emergency jobs" lead people intoother career directions. Don't worrythat your emergency job means you willhave to schedule future job interviewsaround your work schedule-mostinterviewers consider it a good thingwhen job applicants are working .••

Why SomeReal Estate Funds

Are BoomingDespite the

Mortgage Mess

Last year, real estate mutual funds,many of which have been espe-cially appealing to retirees be-

cause of their healthy dividend yields,comprised the most unloved fundsector. Tumbling property values, thegrowing subprime mortgage and creditcrisis, and defaults by some develop-ers helped knock down these funds bynearly 15%, on average, in 2007. Also,after seven years of huge gains for realestate investment trusts (REITs)-themain holding of real estate funds-investors were ready to cash in and takeprofits, creating a steeper decline.

But so far in 2008, these types offunds have performed better, on av-erage, than any other category exceptLatin American stocks, natural re-sources and precious metals. The cat-egory gained 3.7% through May 31,compared with a drop of 3.8% for theStandard & Poor's 500 stock index.

REASONS FOR THE REBOUND

Earnings for many REITs havebeaten analysts' expectations this yearbecause office park occupancy rateshave held up well and rents have risensomewhat. Also, shopping mall ten-ants have not suffered as much as ex-pected, and credit markets have begunto strengthen, improving the outlook.Although stock prices of some REITs,including those with heavy exposure tosubprime mortgages, will continue tostruggle this year, those with the stron-gest balance sheets are attractive.

Long-term investors would be wise toallocate 5% to 10% of their overall invest-ment assets to real estate mutual funds asa way to help diversify their portfolios.Also, retirees could benefit from some

of these funds because their dividendscan bolster retirement income. REITsmust disburse most of their profits asdividends to shareholders in exchangefor favorable tax treatment.

One fund is typically enough for mostinvestors. My favorite no-load (commis-sion-free) real estate funds now, in orderof increasing aggressiveness ...

FOR CONSERVATIVEAND MODERATE INVESTORS

Cohen & Steers Realty Shares Fund(CSRSX). A conservative fund withone of the industry's most experiencedresearch teams. It underperformed itspeers last year, but it has a superb long-term record. Now the managers areloading up on REITs that own rentalapartments and self-storage facilities,two of the strongest-performing typesof REITs this year. The idea is that aspeople downsize from larger houses thatthey no longer can afford or shift torental apartments, these subsectors arelikely to see gains for several years. Per-formance: 19%.* Yield: 2.5%.800-437-9912. www.cohenandsteers.com

T. Rowe Price Real Estate Fund(TRREX). Another conservative fund ~

*All mutual fund performance figures in thisanicle are five-year annualized returns throughMay 31,2008, unless otherwise noted.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed RobenP. McCarthy, president of Kanon Bloch Carre,Boston, a fee-only independent financial ad-viser and consultant to retirement-plan spon-sors and other institutional investors.

The firm conducts detailedanalyses of more than 19,000mutual funds with evaluationtechniques that focus on iden-tifying suitable investmentsfor various market conditions.www.kanon.com

Classroom SupplierPaul HoganMcGrath Rentcorp(MG RC) rents out modularbuildings-mainly for use asclassrooms-and network-efficiencytesting equipment for telecom

companies. ItI pays a dividendII of $0.80/share/

, yr., for a 2.9%recent yield, and

""'" has raised its div-idend an average of 16% annually forthe past five years. Its stock is tradingat its lowest valuation since 2001because investors wrongly think thatthe firm's building rentals were hurtby the downturn in construction.

Fiscal year: December. Earningsper share: 2009 est./$1.97 ... 2008est./$1.75 ... 2007/$1.67.

Paul Hogan is co-portfolio manager ofthe $110 million FAM Equity-Income Fund,Cobleskill, New York.

Infrastructure Expel'lMichael Fusting

Michael Baker Corpora-tion (BKR)does engineeringconsulting on transportationinfrastructure. Its main division helpsconstruction firms handle planning as

. well as regulatoryI and environmen-I tal matters. A less

$2247 i profitable division$1961 does similar con-

"-W,,"'A'G' _~ suiting for oil andgas drillers. While planning to sellthat division, Baker found accountingerrors related to improper recognitionof revenue. Result: No sale soon ...final 2007 earnings reports are de-layed ... consequently, the stock hasbeen hammered. But the companyis highly profitable and debt-free. It islikelyto resolve its financial-reportingissues soon.

Fiscal year: December. Earningsper share: 2009 est./$2.25 ... 2008est./$2.05 ... 2007 est./$1.75.

Michael Fusting is co-investment officer ofthe $245 million Greenspring Fund, Lutherville,Maryland.

Bottom Line/Personal's experts havebeaten their respective benchmarks overthe most recent five-year period or longer.

Weask each contributor to choose one stockthat he/she thinks has significant appreciationpotential over the next 12 to 24 months.

~~ with a strict process for determin-ing values. It wisely steered away fromvolatile home-builder stocks and mort-gage REITs last year. The fund managersbelieve this year's interest rate reduc-tions will restore steady growth to theeconomy and lift the fortunes of manyof its large-cap commercial real estateholdings. Performance:18%. Yield:3.7%.800-638-5660. www.troweprice.com

Third Avenue Real Estate ValueFund (TAREX). A quirky fund thatseeks out bargains anywhere in theworld. It is made for the tough times weface today. About 25% of its holdingsare in US REITs ... almost 10% are inforeign REITs ... and nearly all of the restare in real estate operating companies,which aren't required to offer dividendsbut provide greater growth potentialthan REITs that offer dividends. Thefund has found value in holdings suchas Mitsubishi Estate, aJapanese real es-tate company that controls some of thepriciest commercial real estate in Tokyo,where rent increases over the next threeyears are likely to boost profits. Perfor-mance: 15.9%. Yield: 1.9%. 800-443-1021. www.thirdavenuefunds.com

FOR AGGRESSIVE INVESTORS

CGM Realty Fund (CGMRX). Thisultra-aggressive fund, managed by KenHeebner, has blown away the competi-tion overall, but it had some sharp downyears along the way. The fund, whichoften shifts its focus and recently hadonly 19 holdings, interprets "real estateinvestments" loosely. Example: 44% ofits assets were recently in industrial ma-terials, such as crop nutrient producerMosaic. These diverse holdings allowedthe fund to sidestep the downturn inREITs. Heebner considered REITs tooexpensive in early 2007. The fund hascontinued to outperform in 2008 as ithas shifted somewhat back into REITs.Performance: 34.6%. Yield: 0.8%. 800-343-5678. www.cgmfunds.com

Fidelity International Real EstateFund (FIREX). Foreign REITs out-performed domestic ones last year, al-though they have lagged this year. Therehas been a boom in publicly traded realestate stocks throughout much of Asiaand Europe, including England, wherethe British government began allow-ing the creation of US-style REITs last

year. Many of these new companies arebigger bargains than US REITs. Thisrelatively small fund ($685 million inassets), which was launched in 2004,is taking advantage of that trend byinvesting in REITs with good growthprospects and reasonable valuations inplaces such as Hong Kong, the UK andAustralia. This fund offers an excellentway to diversify if you already have aUS-focused real estate fund. And its1% expense ratio is considerably lowerthan those of other foreign real estatefunds. Three-year annualized perfor-mance: 12.6%. Yield: 2.2%. 800-544-9797. www.fidelity.com ••

July ChecklistSummer medicationtrap:Ask your

physician or pharmacist whether anyof your drugs increase sun sensitivity.Examples: Some antibiotics anti-depressants antihistamines birthcontrol pills diuretics ... nonsteroidalanti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).Limitsun exposure ifany of your medi-cations has this effect.

Don't get dehydrated: Drink be-fore you're thirsty-water and sportsdrinks, in particular. Children, olderadults and people with diabetes areespecially susceptible to dehydration .Alcohol increases dehydration risk, soavoid it when you're in the sun.

Better bug protection: Avoidbrightly colored clothing, aftershavelotion, cologne, perfume, hair sprayand scented soap. Don't use prod-ucts that contain both sunscreen andinsect repellent. Sunscreen must bereapplied every two hours-but repel-lent lasts for six hours or more.

Airline bumping self-defense:Avoid being bumped from overbookedflights by checking in on-line within24 hours of flight time. Silver lining:Compensation for bumped passen-gers has been doubled-up to $800,depending on the ticket price and thelength of the delay.

Happier airporting: Find out aboutairport amenities-massages, nailsalons, children's play areas, gamerooms, chapels, etc.-before you goso that you are better prepared fora long delay. Airport lookup: www.ad -na.org/i ndex/ airportsyou_1 ist.

Diabetic eye disease maypredict heart failure, we

hear from Tien Y. Wong, MD, PhD. Ac-cording to a recent study, people whohave diabetic retinopathy-diabetes-related damage to blood vessels inthe retina-have more than doublethe risk for heart failure than diabetespatients with healthy retinas. Self-defense: Everyone who has diabetesneeds a comprehensive, dilated eyeexam at least once a year. People inwhom retinopathy is detected shouldhave a complete cardiac exam-andregular follow-ups.

Tien Y. Wong, MD, PhD, is professor andchair of ophthalmology, Centre for Eye Research,University of Melbourne, East Melbourne, Austra-lia, and senior author of a study of 1,021 adultswith type 2 diabetes, published in Journal of theAmerican College of Cardiology

Wait to lock in heating oilrates for winter, says ener-

gy analyst James L. Williams. Pric-es have topped $4 a gallon, aboutdouble what they were a year ago.That reflects soaring crude oil prices,which may back off as a recessionhits, as well as very high refinery pricemarkups, which cannot last. Expecthome heating oil prices to drop by50 cents a gallon by late summer.Caution: Because no one can becertain which way oil prices will go,if you are on a fixed income and canafford today's locked-in prices but notmuch more, you may want to lock inyour price now.

James L. Williams is an energy analyst atWTRG Economics, London, Arkansas, whichassists consumers, businesses and producersin analyzing energy price risks.

Kidney stones are morecommon in people with meta-

bolic syndrome, warns Holly Kramer,MD. Traits of metabolic syndrome in-clude enlarged waist, increased fast-ing glucose level, high blood pressure,high triglycerides (blood fats) and lowlevels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Tolower the risk for kidney stones, besure to exercise and increase fluidintake. Also: Certain medications canhelp prevent kidney stone recurrence.Ask your doctor what is best for you.

Holly Kramer, MD, is assistant profes-sor, department of preventive medicine and

-'ector of the masters program in clinical-esearch methods, Loyola University MedicalGen-er, Maywood, Illinois. She is coauthor::.= c. study of 15,000 people, published in- -erican Journal of Kidney Diseases.

PLANNING PAYS

Many people are losingthousands in Social Security.

How NOT to be one Qa/them... ~

Deciding when you should startcollecting SocialSecurity retire-ment benefits can be difficult.

The decision could alter how muchyou and your survivors collect by tensof thousands of dollars.

85, that translates to $21,000 less intotal payments, even with the fourextra years of checks (not includingcost-of-living adjustments). So it maybe better to wait. (Exception: If youstart taking benefits before full retire-ment age and save or invest the moneywisely rather than spend it, you mightclose the gap.) If you wait until age70, rather than age 66, to start col-lecting, that $1,000 "full retirement"

monthly checkIt Often Pays to Postpone Social Security bee 0 m e s a

$1500 .-----..------- $1,320 month-ly check. That'san additional$9,600 youcollect from theSocial SecurityAdministrationif you live toage 85.

Of course,the best timeto start takingbenefits variesdepending onyour situation,including how

much you have saved, how muchyou need to spend each year, howlong you expect that you and/or yourspouse will live and how much, ifany, income you expect to earn eachyear from age 62 until you reach ~Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Joseph

1. Matthews, a San Francisco-based attorneyspecializing in issues related to seniors, such asSocial Security.

He taught at the law school of Universityof California, Berkeley, and is author of SocialSecurity, Medicare 6- Government Pensions: Get theMost Out of Your Retirement 6- Medical Benefits,13th edition (Nolo).

WHEN YOU ARE ELIGIBLE

Although anyone eligible for SocialSecurity retirement benefits can startcollecting a "reduced" amount asearly as age 62,what the gov-ernment calls"full" benefitsare not avail- k 1200able until the ~so-called "full" ~

>-(or "normal") £; I

retirement ~ :age, which :ranges from 600 :

65 to 67 years 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70old, de pen d - Age When Benefit Payments Start

ing on the year 'The government designates 66 the "full" or "normal"retirement age for people born between January 2, 1943,

you were born. and January 1, 1955.And even past "For someone getting $1,000 at retirement age. Monthly

benefit figures do not include cost-ai-living adjustments.that full retire- Source: Social Security Administration.ment age, theamount of the checks you receive willkeep rising by 8% for each additionalyear that you wait-until you reachage 70, after which waiting will not in-crease your benefits. (The rate is lowerthan 8% for those born before 1943.)

Example: If your full retirement ageis 66, starting benefits at age 62 willpermanently reduce your monthlychecks by 25% from what you wouldget at age 66. That means if your fullmonthly benefit is $1,000, you willreceive $750 per month if you startcollecting at age 62. If you live to age

~~ full retirement age.To get an estimate of your life

expectancy, go to http://moneycentral.msn.com/personal-finance, andclick on "Retirement," then "Life Ex-pectancy Calculator."

Rule of thumb: The longer you ex-pect to live, the more likely that delay-ing the start of Social Security benefitswill payoff.

The Social Security Administra-tion's break-even age calculator canhelp you decide the best time to startcollecting benefits, based on how longyou expect to live. However, it doesnot take into account many othervariables, including the possibilityof earning interest or investment re-turns on any benefits you take earlyand don't spend immediately. Youcan find the calculator at www.socialsecurity.gov / planners/ morecalculations.htm (click on "Break-Even" AgeCalculator).

Your Full Retirement AgeThe "full" retirement age is 65 for

people who were born before 1938, butbecause of longer life expectancies,the Social Security law was changed togradually increase the full retirement ageuntil it reaches age 67.

If you wait beyond your full retirementage (up to age 70), your monthly benefitmay increase further.

Year of Birth*1937 or earlier

Full Retirement Age65

1939 65 and 4 months

1940 65 and 6 months

1941 65 and 8 months

1942 65 and 10 months

1943-1954 661955 66 and 2 months

1956 66 and 4 months

1957 66 and 6 months

1958 66 and 8 months

1959 66 and 10 months

1960 and later 67*If you were born on January 1of any year,you should refer to the previous year.

OTHER REASONS TO WAIT

In most cases, it is best to wait untilfull retirement age, and in some cases,until age 70, to start collecting SocialSecurity retirement benefits ...

You still are working or expect toreturn to work. Until you reach fullretirement age, Social Security ben-efits are reduced by $1 for every $2in earned income over a specifiedamount that increases with inflation.That amount is $13,560 in 2008.Important: This penalty applies onlyto earned income, not to investmentincome or rental income. When thispenalty is figured into the equation,you almost certainly will be betteroff delaying benefits at least until fullretirement age and receiving largerbenefits later.

You are married and are eligiblefor higher benefits than your spouse,based on your earnings history. Af-ter you die, your spouse can claimsurvivor's benefits equal to your fullretirement benefit-but only if youwait until full retirement age to startcollecting benefits. If you start col-lecting early, the reduced benefitscarryover to your spouse after youdie. However, if you postpone thestart of benefits past full retirementage, your spouse's benefits do not in-crease further.

Alternative strategy: If you arehealthy and expect to live well intoyour 80s, consider filing for benefitsat your full retirement age but thenimmediately suspending those ben-efits. Your spouse can't file for spou-sal benefits until you file for your ownbenefits.

To suspend your benefits, you mustnotify the Social Security Administra-tion by phone or in writing.

Under this scenario, your spouse canstart collecting benefits as a dependentas soon as you file, based on your sal-ary history. A person age 62 or olderis entitled to receive benefits of up to50% of his/her spouse's benefits as a"dependent" of the spouse, as long asthe person is not collecting benefitsbased on his own salary history.

At the same time, by immediatelysuspending your benefits, you allow

,,,the size of your future checks to fur-ther increase for each year you wait toresume collecting benefits until youreach age 70.

REASONS NOT TO WAIT

There are certain scenarios underwhich you are better off starting to col-lect benefits before you reach full retire-mentage ...

You have good reason to believethat you might not live beyond yourmid-70s. This may apply if you arein poor health, have an unhealthylifestyle and/or your parents, grand-parents or other close relatives have ahistory of dying young.

Alternative: If you are forced toretire early because of poor health,consider applying for Social Securitydisability benefits (which are higherthan early retirement benefits), rath-er than starting retirement benefitsearly.

Note: Disability benefits run onlyuntil full retirement age, at whichtime full Social Security benefitsbegin.

You have dependent children. Ifyou have a child younger than 18years of age (19 if he/she is still inhigh school) and you receive SocialSecurity benefits, this child will receiveup to 50% of your benefit amount as adependent in addition to the benefitsyou collect.

If this child is younger than 16, yourspouse can qualify for additional ben-efits as a caregiver. (The total amountyou and your family can receive in ayear based on your work record alone,and not your spouse's, is generallycapped at 150% to 180% of your ben-efit amount. So if both your spouseand your child take dependent benefitsbased on your earnings record, each willreceive less than the full 50% to whichhe would otherwise be entitled.)

All of those extra checks often makeit worthwhile to start benefits as soonas possible.

You need your benefits to pay yourbills and/or to afford the retirementyou want. The decision to begin col-lecting early may allow you to do thingsthat you wouldn't otherwise be able toafford .••

Did you Imow thai..... .stock returns come in bursts?Example: If you were fully invested inan S&P 500 index fund in December1997, your cumulative 10-year returnwould be 78%. If you missed the mar-ket's 20 best days during the decade,you would have lost 24%. Bottom line:Market timing may hurt your long-terminvestment strategy.

Study by Altair Advisers, independent invest-ment consultants, Chicago .

... women's stroke rates havetripled? Recent finding: Amongwomen ages 35 to 54, 1.8% had astroke between 1999 and 2004-three times as high a percentage asfound in an earlier study. Possiblereason: Increasing obesity. Women'swaists are two inches larger, on aver-age, than a decade earlier, and bodymass index averages are rising.

Amy tis Towfighi, MD, assistant professorof neurology, University of Southern California,Los Angeles, and leader of a study of 9,706people, presented at the International StrokeConference.

... men in their 305 and 40s arethe most unhappy members ofsociety? When asked to rate theirwell-being on a scale of one to 10,men ages 35 to 44 rated themselvesat 6.8, on average, versus an averageof 7.3 for everyone surveyed. Mostmen are happiest at ages 16 to 24(7.6), and most women hit a peak sat-isfaction level of 7.7 over age 65.

Survey of 1,600 people by Department for En-vironment, Food and Rural Affairs, London, UK.

... many Americans changetheir religion? More than 25%have left their childhood faith to joinanother religion or stopped practic-ing any faith. The greatest gain isamong unaffiliated people-agnostics,atheists and people who have no par-ticular religious affiliation.

us Religious Landscape Survey, Pew Forumon Religion and Public Life, Washington, DC.

... Caesarean births are twice asrisky to the baby as vaginal births?Babies born via C-section to womenwho did not need the procedure havetwice the risk for death within the firstmonth as those born vaginally. Self-defense: Have a C-section only if yourdoctor feels it is necessary.

Marian F. MacDorman, PhD, statistician andsenior social scientist, division of vital statistics,National Center for Health Statistics, Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta.

Louise L.Hay onTheAmadngPower of PositiveAffirmations

Affirmations are statements thatreflect our views of who we areand what we want. They can be

positive or negative. They influenceour feelings and thoughts-and whatactually happens in our lives.

Example: I grew up in an abusivefamily. As a child, I believed that it wasnatural for men to beat women. As Iwent though life, I always attractedmen who abused me. It wasn't untilI learned about self-esteem and self-worth that I let go of that pattern ofthinking. As a result, I started to attractmen who valued and respected me.

Positive affirmations don't miracu-lously create a new reality-but theydo open the mental channels that canallow good things to happen. Peoplewho are happy and self-confident wel-come good things into their lives. Theyattract positive people. They create theirown opportunities. Here's how ...

• Turn a negative into a positive.Statements such as, "I don't want tobe fat," "I don't like this relationship"or "I don't want to be unhappy" areactually negative affirmations. Dwell-ing on things that we don't want merelycreates more mental space for thosethings to thrive.

When delivered as positive affirma-tions, the statements above become "Iam slender," "I have a wonderful newrelationship" and "I am happy."

• Train yourself. Most of us havetrained ourselves to be self-critical. Wecan just as easily train ourselves to beaccepting.

Exercise: For the next month, say afew hundred times a day, "I approve ofmyself." Repeat it out loud or to your-

self when you're in the shower, walkingto the mailbox, etc.

At first, you'll probably notice thatrepeating this mantra brings up oppo-site feelings. You'll find yourself think-ing, I don't believe itor Saying this makesme feel silly.

These are resistance thoughts. Letthem pass through your mind. Theyhave no power unless you choose tobelieve them. Counter them with theoriginal mantra, I approve of myself.Your thinking will start to change.

• Look in the mirror every morningand say, "I really love you." Do this-and use your name. The universe lovesgratitude and appreciation. Appreci-ating yourself means appreciating theuniverse.

Imagine that you give someone agift. If that person is grateful and ap-preciative, you want to give him/hermore presents. But if he is negativeabout it and says something like, "Idon't like the color," you won't wantto be so generous again.

When you love yourself, you'rethanking the universe for the wonder-ful gift that is you-and more gifts willcome your way.

• Say "thank you." I say "thank you"to the universe at least a dozen times aday-when I see the beauty of a tree, abreathtaking sunset, etc. The more ~Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Louise L.

Hay, one of the founders of the self-help move-ment. She is author of numerous books, includ-ing You Can Heal Your Life (Hay House), whichhas sold more than 35 million copies. www.louisehay.com

She is founder and head of Hay House, Inc.,a self-help publishing company, Carlsbad, Cali-fornia, whose best-selling authors include WayneDyer and Joan Borysenko.

~ ~ grateful you are for the good thingsin our life, the more life gives you toappreciate.

If ~ou want a joyous life, you mustthink joyous thoughts. Example: Somepeople notice that it's raining and say,"What a lousy day." It's not a lousy day.It's merely a wet day. There are lots ofgood things to do on rainy days. Whygreet it with despair?

• Eliminate "should" thinking.Many people force themselves to dothings that they dislike, because some-one (often a parent) said they shoulddo them-go to a certain school, be-come a lawyer, marry a particular per-son, ete.

Better: Replace "should" with

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"could." The word "could" means thatyou have choices ... that you can followyour own judgment and listen to yourinstincts.

Exercise: Write the phrase "I should"at the top of a piece of paper, followedby five or six ways to finish the sen-tence. Examples: "I should be thin" ... "Ishould be smarter" ... "I should havemore money now." You'll probably findthat most of the items reflect your ownfears and imagined limitations.

Now, instead of writing "I should,"substitute it with, "If I really wantedto, I could ... " Examples: "If I reallywanted to, I could be thin" ... "If! reallywanted to, I could be smarter" ... "If Ireally wanted to, I could have moremoney now."

• Tell yourself it's easy. Severaltimes a day, tell yourself how easy itis to do something. "It's easy to havegood friends" ... "It's easy to find a jobI love" ... "It's easy to bring good intomy life."

This type of affirmation is one ofthe simplest-and most powerful. Wetend to think that things are much moredifficult than they really are. The fearof difficulty is really the fear of trying,which keeps us from moving forward.

• Learn from failure. The fear offailure can be paralyzing. How manytimes have you been too afraid to trysomething new?

We encourage children when they'relearning to walk. Every tiny step is asuccess! Yet we're not so kind to our-selves. We tell ourselves that we'reclumsy or stupid ... that our initial, halt-ing steps are a failure.

Not true. Every experience that wehave is a learning experience. We getbetter with practice ... discover newstrengths ... and find opportunities.

Exercise: Several times a day, use"success affirmations." Say things suchas, "Everything I touch is a success" ..."I am blessed beyond my fondestdreams" ... and "Golden opportunitiesare everywhere for me."

Much of life is a rehearsal, a time tomake mistakes, try new approaches andlearn how to make things better. Every-thing brings us closer to success.

• Forgive others and yourself. Wegive away our power when we harbor

anger toward people and events fromthe past. Maybe you had an unhappychildhood ... an abusive spouse ... a jobthat didn't work out. Let it all go.

Dwelling on old hurts never makespeople happy. Worse, it hampers theability to enjoy the future because youstop believing that you-and onlyyou-can make things better.

Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting orcondoning bad behavior. The goal is tofree yourself from negativity.

Exercise: Sit with your eyes closedand say, "The person I need to forgiveis so-and-so, and I forgive him/her."Repeat it over and over for five to 10minutes. Then turn your attention in-ward and take a minute or two to for-give yourself for things you've done.

Repeat this exercise at least once aweek. Do it for every injustice or hurtthat you still feel. You'll come to real-ize that the past doesn't control yourpresent ... and that you have the innerstrength to make yourself happy .••

lamin my 80s and not in goodhealth. I now realize that I was

not the best person or parent. Is ittoo late to make amends?

It is never too late to change in ourhearts. It may be too late to repair arelationship, but you will never knowuntil you try.

What to do: Make a conscious ef-fort to become the person you wantto be. Start with a visit or phone callto the person to whom you want tomake amends. Say you realize thatyour past behavior was not what youwish it had been and that you aresorry. You also can say this in a letter.

Your comments may not be ac-cepted at face value, especially ifthe behavior goes back many years.Stay focused on your goal, however,and stick with your improved behav-ior. Even if the other person neverbelieves you, you will know that youmade the effort.

Answer from: The Reverend Z. Ann Schmidt,director of pastoral care, Stamford Health System,Stamford, Connecticut.

Have a difficult question? Ask our experts ..•Send it to Readers Ask. Bottom Line/Personal, Box436, Stamford, Connecticut 06904-0436 ... or viaE-mail toKaren@BottomLinePersonal.com. Weregret that we are unable to publish answers to allquestions or respond to all letters personally.

belle ays• Beller mowing. Mow in differ-ent directions each time so that grassgrows straight up. Use a mulchingmower so clippings become fertilizer.Sharpen blades after every 10 to 15hours of mowing. Mow often enough sothat you cut off less than the top one-third of the grass blades. Grass shouldbe about 3.5 inches tall to stay healthyin hot weather and prevent weeds.

Zachary J. Reicher, PhD, professor!turfgrassextension specialist, department of agronomy,Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

• Always have one electricity-free phone in the house-one thatplugs into the jack and requires noadditional electricity. During blackouts,wireless phones won't work and cellphones work only as long as their bat-teries last.

Barbara Pletcher, president, Prime PropertiesGroup, a real estate group that specializes inhelping stroke victims find homes that meet theirneeds, based in Sacramento, California.

• Consider buying flood in-surance even if your home is not ina flood zone. Floods can occur any-where, and real estate developmentmakes them more likely by changingdrainage patterns. Flood insurance forproperty outside your region's 100-yearfloodplain is less expensive and haslower deductibles than for areas insidethe floodplain. Determine your risk atwww.floodsmartgov. You can buy theinsurance through an agent licensedto sell flood insurance. Find one at theNational Flood Insurance Program Website, www.fema.gov/business/nfip.

Robert P. Hartwig, PhD, CPCU, president,Insurance Information Institute, New York City.www.iii.org

• Check labels when lookingfor products made in the US.The label "Made in USA" means all oralmost all parts and processing aredone in the US. "Assembled in theUS" means that the finished productwas put together in the US, but it mayconsist of parts from other countries.Some labels have qualifiers, such as"Made in USA of US and importedparts:' Don't draw conclusions frombrand names, such as "America'sLock," or advertising slogans, suchas "America's Favorite Mushrooms:'which tell you nothing about where theproducts come from.Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Ave., Yon-

kers, New York 10703. 13 issues. $26!yr.

Should you gel theShingles Vaccine?

An Update fromHarvard Medical School

Anne Louise OaklanderMD,PhD

Ifyou're 60 or older, it is time to getvaccinated for shingles, accordingto new guidelines from the Cen-

ters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster,is characterized by a painful and itchyrash. It is caused by the same virus thatcauses chicken pox (varicella-zoster).Most people who have been infectedwith the virus never get rid of it. Afteran initial infection with chicken pox,the virus retreats into nerve cells nearthe spinal cord and brain, possibly toreemerge later in life. About two inevery 10 people who have had chickenpox eventually will get shingles.

Doctors diagnose more new cases ofshingles annually than any other neuro-logical disease. About one million casesare diagnosed in the US every year, withmore than half of those cases occurringin patients 60 years old and older.

MORE THAN A RASH

When the shingles virus is reacti-vated, it travels through nerves until itreaches the skin. Common earlysigns include pain, tingling and/or itching. A blistering rash typ-ically emerges several days laterand lasts up to four weeks. ~

The rash usually appears onjust one side of the body, often as aband that extends from the midline ofthe back around to the breastbone. Italso can appear above an eye or on theside of the face or neck.

The rash is the least important part ofshingles. It's uncomfortable but even-tually will clear up on its own, with orwithout medical treatment.

Main risk: About 20% of patients

with shingles go on to develop postherpeticneuralgia (PHN), nerve pain that canlast for months or years. The pain fromPHN ranges from mildly annoying tosevere. Some patients experience dis-abling pain that is exacerbated by theslightest touch, such as the weight ofa shirt.

Other risks: Some shingles patientsgo on to develop encephalitis (brain in-flammation), retinitis (inflammation ofthe retina of the eye) or myelitis (swell-ing of the spinal cord). These com-plications are rare, however. Chronicpostherpetic pain is the main risk.

WHO SHOULD WORRY

Anyone who has had chicken poxcan develop shingles-and the virus ishighly contagious. Anyone who comesinto contact with the virus-usu-ally by direct contact with the rash-potentially can be infected if he/shehas not had chicken pox before. He willdevelop chicken pox, however, ratherthan shingles.

It is safe for anyone who has hadchicken pox to come in contactwith someone who has shin-gles-the shingles virus fromone person cannot "reactivate"the virus in another.

Shingles outbreaks tendto occur most often in patients withweakened immune systems-due ~Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Anne

Louise Oaklander, MD, PhD, a physician!scientist who specializes in symp-toms such as itch and pain causedby various types of nerve injury.She is associate professor of neu-rology at Harvard Medical Schooland Massachusetts General Hos-pital, both in Boston.

Gina Trapani. Lifehacker.com

A IISmarier" Computer Password

The most common solutions forkeeping track of your computerpasswords no longer provide

enough protection. Are you still doingthe following?

Picking obvious passwords, suchas 123456, abc123, [Your Pet'sName] or [Your Mother's MaidenName]. Problem: Many people canguess these easily and break into youraccounts.

Using the same password formultiple accounts. Problem: This al-lows a person who knows your pass-word to access more than one of youraccounts.

Taping password reminders toyour computer screen or leaving themin the top drawer of your desk. Prob-lem: They are easily accessible to any-one who enters your home or office.

Better strategies ...

HIGH-SECURITY PASSWORD

The safest passwords are nondic-tionary words of at least eight char-acters that contain a combination ofnumbers and lowercase and upper-case letters.

This sounds like a chore, but it's ac-tually easy if you use this three-stepsystem ...

1Use a mnemonic device to comeup with your "core" password.

Use a memorable combination, suchas your spouse's initials and the monthand day of your anniversary. Example:If your spouse's initials are ST andyou were married on June 3, your corepassword is ST0603.

2Create unique passwords byusing variations on your core

password. Take the name of the par-ticular Web site you are creating apassword for, and add the first letterto the front of your core password andthe last letter to the end, all in lower-case. Examples: If you use the Ama-zon.com Web site, your password isaST0603n ... if you go to Vanguard.com, your password is vST0603d.

3For added protection, add a layerof variation to your core pass-

word. For example, if your Vanguardpassword (vST0603d) doesn't feelsecure enough, go one step further.Add another number to the end of it.Take the final letter of your passwordand convert it to the correspondingnumber on a telephone number pad.Since the letter "d" corresponds tothe number "3;' your new password isvST0603d3. That's nearly impossibleto crack, but fairly easy to re-createshould you forget it.

EXTRA SECURITY

Choose the right security question.Many Web sites now require you to an-swer a preselected personal questionwhen you choose a password. You'reusually allowed to select the questionyou want to use. Avoid picking onewhose answer is open to interpretationor difficult to spell. Example: I usuallyuse a security question that asks forthe city of my birth, but not one thatasks for my favorite food (which couldchange) or my elementary school. (Wasit PS 12 or P.S. 12 or PS #12?)

Write down your passwords andsecurity answers. Keep this informa-tion in a secure place, such as a safe-deposit box. If you die or are injured,your family still will have a way to ac-cess your Web site accounts.

Consider password-managementsoftware protected with encryption.You create a database of all your pass-words on your computer and securethe file with a master password. Myfavorite encryption software: KeePass,http://keepass.info. Cost: Free. Putyour master password in your safe-deposit box.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed GinaTrapani, author of Upgrade Your Life: The Life-hacker Guide to Working Smarter, --~Faster, Better (Wiley). i

Based in San Diego, she is Icreator of Lifehacker.com, a Web Isite that provides daily advice and I I

links about technology and personalproductivity.

~ ~ to advanced age ... diseases, such ascancer or AIDS ... or treatment withsteroids, chemotherapy or the drugsused to prevent organ rejection aftertransplants.

Healthy people who get shinglesare unlikely to suffer a second attack,because the emergence of the shinglesvirus reboosts their immunity. Decadescan pass before a second attack. Sincemost people get their first shingles casein middle age or later, they probablywon't live long enough to get it again.

Patients with depressed immunity,however, may have subsequent or pro-longed shingles.

THE VACCINE

The shingles vaccine, Zostavax, waslicensed by the Food and Drug Ad-ministration (FDA) in 2006 followinga study of more than 38,000 men andwomen ages 60 and older. Those whogot the vaccine were 51 % less likely todevelop shingles than those in a controlgroup. Even when the vaccine didn'tprevent shingles, the shingles attackwas milder and the risk of PHN wasreduced by 67%.

The CDC's new guidelines recom-mending the vaccine for everyone age60 and older were announced in May ofthis year, replacing a provisional recom-mendation made in 2006. The vaccinealso is recommended for those who arecurrently healthy but who might expe-rience significant immune impairmentsin the future. Patients with a new can-cer diagnosis, for example, or someonewho is anticipating a transplant pro-cedure should ask their doctors aboutgetting the vaccine.Important: Patients with a blood can-

cer, such as multiple myeloma, and thosewho take immunosuppressive medica-tions for conditions such as lupus orrheumatoid arthritis should ask theirdoctors if they need the vaccine.

The vaccination, given once by injec-tion, costs about $300 (less at publichealth agencies) and usually is coveredby insurance. Some insurance compa-nies won't cover the cost of the vaccinewhen it's given to patients who alreadyhave had shingles, because their risk ofa subsequent attack is low.

According to the CDC, the shin-(-0) gles vaccine should not be given to

patients who are allergic to gelatin orthe antibiotic neomycin ... those withactive, untreated tuberculosis ... thosewith a history of bone marrow canceror lymphatic cancer. .. or women whoare pregnant or planning to get preg-nant within rhree month of gettingthe vaccine.

IF YOU GET SHINGLES

Patients who do deyelop shinglesoften can reduce the duration and/orseverity of the infection, and their riskfor developing PHK with the promptuse of antiviral drugs within 72 hoursafter onset of the rash .

Three antiviral d~ -aC)clot'ir(Zovirax), valaC)clotir -alttex) andfamciclovir (Farnvir -appear to beequally effective when raken for sevendays. (AcyclO\ir, which has to be takenevery five hours is I expensive butless convenient than the other drug ,which are taken three times daily.) Theearlier these medications are started,the more effective they appear to be atterminating a shingles outbreak.

One study found that shingles pa-tients treated with the antiviral famci-clovir were free of pain in 63 days, onaverage, compared with an average of119 days in patients given a placebo.In real life, however, the drugs tend tobe less effective than clinical studiessuggest. Reasons: Delays in diagnosisand/or getting a prescription meanthat some patients don't start the druguntil they have had the infection formore than 72 hours. Others may for-get to take every dose.

Other options:Patients who combinean antiviral drug with an oral steroid(taken for three weeks in a taperingdose) may experience less pain and/orskin discomfort. The steroid/antiviralcombination also may reduce the riskfor developing PHN.

SELF-CARE

During the rash phase of shingles,some patients can get temporary reliefby taking an over-the-counter pain-killer or an anti-inflammatory, such asibuprofen or acetaminophen. Applica-tions of hydrocortisone cream or theuse of cool, moist compresses also canhelp relieve pain and itching .••

Thick fog ...Downpours .High winds .

he best advice for driving in badweather: Don't. Postpone yourtrip if roads look bad or news

reports warn of treacherous conditions.Unfortunately, bad weather sometimestakes us by surprise, and some trips can-not be delayed. How to drive safely ...

THICK FOG

Turn on your fog lights if you havethem-or your headlights if youdon't-but not your high bearns, whichmight cause glare. Reduce your speedenough that you could stop safely ifsomething appears out of the fog infront of you, even if this means slowingto a crawl. Tap your brakes to flash yourbrake lights as you decelerate, warningdrivers behind you that you are slow-ing. It's illegal in some states to drivewith your hazard lights on, but that canincrease visibility.

If you cannot see more than a fewcar lengths ahead, pull over and waitfor the fog to lift. Pull over as far aspossible so that you don't have to parkon the shoulder and there is some dis-tance between you and the road. Poorvisibility could cause another vehicle tostray from its lane, creating danger forcars parked on the shoulder. Drive pastthe shoulder only if you are certain thatthe ground is level and solid enough tosafely support your vehicle.

Turn on your hazard lights whenyou pull over, and remain inside yourvehicle with your seat belt on.

Safest roadside waiting spot in alimited-visibility situation: Tuckedbehind a guardrail. Watch for the endof a stretch of guardrail, pull off theroad, then back in behind the guardrailso that the metal barrier is between

your vehicle and passing traffic.

DOWNPOUR RAIN

Downpours can severely limit visibil-ity. See directions for driving in fog atleft. In addition, wet roads reduce trac-tion by about 30%, so reduce your speedby one-third even if visibility is good.

The first few minutes of a downpourare particularly dangerous if the regionhas not had rain in many days. The rainwill cause oil that has collected on theroad to float to the surface, creating aslick surface that further reduces trac-tion. Drive with extreme caution, orpull over and wait 10 minutes for theoil to wash away.

Heavy rain also creates the potentialfor hydroplaning, in which a vehicle'stires slide across the surface of a thinfilm of water, robbing the driver of bothtraction and steering. Replace worntires with new ones to reduce the oddsof hydroplaning. Apply the brakes verygently if your vehicle does hydroplane.This shifts the weight of the car forwardonto its front tires, helping to returnyour traction and steering.

Important: Resist the urge to slamon the brakes, which could unbalancethe car and make it even more difficultto control.

FLOODING

Do not attempt to drive on a ~Bottom Line/Personal interviewed William

Van Tassel, PhD, manager of driver-trainingoperations at the AAA's national office in Heath-row, Florida. www.aaa.com

He is a member of the Trans- r-

Iportation Board's Committeeon Operative Regulation and lEducation and a sports car rac-er with the Sports Car Club ofAmerica. L _

Greg Moran. Four Seasons Racquet Club

Don'l Hil Ihe Ball So ard... and other secrets from a tennis pro

Nearly 80% of points in amateurtennis are lost on missed shots,not won on great shots. To win

more, stop trying to hit the ball as hardas you can or drop it on the lines. In-stead, play patiently and wait for youropponent to make mistakes. Also ...

SINGLES

• Rethink your serves. Most ama-teurs blast their first serves as hardas they can and frequently miss. Thenthey lay in soft second serves, whichtheir opponents anticipate and returnaggressively. Instead, hit both your firstand second serves half to two-thirdsas hard as you are capable of serv-ing. This will allow you to get most ofyour first serves into play. As long asyou vary the placement-and spin, ifyou can-of your serve to keep youropponent off balance, you will be ingood shape to win most of your servicepoints. If you do miss your first serve,hit your second serve just as hard.

The perfect toss: Bad serves oftenare the result of bad tosses. Pretendthat the ball is a glass of water thatyou are balancing on the palm of yourhand. Lift your hand upward, releasingthe glass upward when your arm is fullyextended. Begin your swing when theball pauses at its apex so that you hit itjust as it starts to descend.

• Stop trying to hit winners whenyou return a first serve. Instead, tryto return first serves safely down themiddle of the court, five to seven feetabove the net (one to two feet abovethe net and at the server's feet if theserver charges the net after service).The server has the advantage on thefirst serve. If you try to hit quick winners,you are likely to fail more often than yousucceed.

• Be more aggressive against asecond serve. Move three feet for-ward, then try to drive your return deepcrosscourt.

• Hit most ground strokes cross-court in singles tennis. The ball

crosses over the net at the net's lowestpoint, the middle, when you hit cross-court, reducing the odds that the ballwill hit the net. Because hitting cross-court lets you aim at the long diagonaldimension of the court, it also reducesthe odds that you will hit long-andincreases the distance that your op-ponent must run.

• When in trouble, hit up. When youropponent has you on the run, lob yourreturn high and deep. Lobbing forceshim to retreat to the backcourt andgives you a chance to regroup.

DOUBLES

• Avoid the one up, one back for-mation against skilled opposition.This conventional doubles formation isreasonably effective against teams oflimited abilities, but skilled opponentswill exploit the huge gap that it createsbetween you and your partner. Instead,play both up if you are skilled at volley-ing and covering lobs ... play both backif you are not. Both back is the bestway to remain competitive against adoubles team of greater skill.

• Don't try to "hit 'em where theyain't!' It is very difficult to hit a shotwhere neither opponent can reach itwhen two opponents are patrolling thecourt. Instead, aim ...

• At your opponents' feet. Theseshots are very tricky to return.

• Right down the middle of thecourt. Your opponents will have troublefinding a winning angle on their return,and there might be a crucial momentof confusion as your opponents decidewho will return the shot.

• Over your opponents' heads ifboth opponents are up at the net.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed GregMoran, director of tennis at the Four SeasonsRacquet Club in Wilton, Con-necticut. A teaching pro for morethan 30 years, he is author of Ten-nis Beyond Big Shots (MansionGrove House) and is working on asimilar book about doubles tennis.www.tennisbeyondbigshots.com .

•• flooded road unless you are certainthat the water is no more than a fewinches deep. Water depth can be verydifficult to gauge, and misjudgmentsare dangerous-so always err on theside of caution .

Turn around and find a differentroute, or pull over and wait for theflooding to subside. Do not wait rightat the edge of the floodwater-it couldrise quickly.

If other vehicles attempt to cross,watch their progress to determinewater depth. If the floodwater is onlya few inches deep, then it should berelatively safe to cross. Be extremelygentle on the gas pedal, and easeyour vehicle through the flood areacarefully.

After leaving the flood area, gentlyapply your brakes, using slight pedalpressure for three to four seconds sev-eral times. This helps to "sweep" thewater off the brake system surfaces sothat they are dry (or at least less wet)for the next application.

If your car becomes stuck on aflooded road, remain in the vehiclewith your seat belt on unless there isimminent danger that water could fillthe passenger compartment. If youhave a cell phone, call 911. If not, yellor signal to other drivers that you needhelp.

STRONG CROSSWINDS

Keep your eyes far ahead on the roadwhen driving in crosswinds. This givesyou the visual cues that you need tomost easily correct your course and re-main in your lane.

Avoid driving next to other vehicleswhen there are strong crosswinds. Side-by-side driving increases the odds thatyou will have a collision if the windpushes one of you out of your lane.

On windy days, ready yourself forgusts-for example, you can grip thesteering wheel and prepare to make aslight correction-when your vehicleleaves protected locations and entersopen spaces. These include drivingout from under an overpass ... enteringa cleared area after driving through adensely wooded area ... driving onto anexposed bridge ... or accelerating past alarge truck. ••

•.i$t.ill- ~ t»

~ 6"S~) '41'41f::il;:I..\,- -c:;.~.l.J~ ____,

with each potential client to determinehow their buying decisions are made,and target your approach to all thosewho influence the buying decision.Focus on your firm's strengths, not onthe competition-which you cannotcontrol. Listen to each prospect care-fully to determine his/her needs andfind ways to meet those needs. Figureout why the prospect should buy fromyou-you must be able to articulatethis to him. Anticipate losing the busi-ness, and analyze why this could hap-pen-then adjust your approach so thatit doesn't.

Martyn Lewis, founder, president and CEO,Market- Partners, sales consultants, Santa Rosa,California, and author of Sales Wise (Fenestra).

We form habits and then ourhabits form us.

-Ralph Waldo Emersonphilosopher, essayist, poet

(1803 - 1882)

yourmoneyo Penalty rates on credit cards

are heading sharply higher. TheDiscover Card recently raised its de-fault rate, which can be triggered bymissing a payment or going over yourcredit limit, to a 31 % annual percent-age rate (APR). Bank of America raiseddefault rates for some customers to30%. Credit card issuers are very skit-tish about risk and are quick to raiserates for consumers exhibiting anysigns of financial distress. Self defense:Make all of your payments on time.

Greg McBride, CFA, senior financial analyst,Bankrate.com, North Palm Beach, Florida.

o Nonspouse beneficiariesof 401(k) accounts now have theright to transfer an inherited 401 (k)to an IRA. This lets the heir stretchwithdrawals and tax bills over his/herlifetime. The IRS has allowed thistype of transfer in the past, but somecompanies did not offer it and requirednonspouse beneficiaries to withdraw all401 (k) money within five years. TheIRS recently ruled that companies arerequired to offer the option.

Ed Slott, editor, Ed Slott's IRA Advisor, 100Merrick Rd., Rockville Centre, New York 11570.12 issues. $125/yr. www.irahe1p.com

yoursmallbusinesso Professional help for small

businesses. A free service fromElance.com lets you find freelancersto help you build a Web site, promoteyour products, assist with legal or ad-ministrative matters and more. Youcan browse by the type of help youneed and read the resumes of avail-able freelancers and reviews of theirwork. You also can filter the appli-cants by region and minimum rates.

o Most new businesses fail sim-ply because they don't find enough cus'tomers. Basics of effective selling: Meet

'PERSONAL~

selfdefenseo Do not pour boiling liquid

into plastic water bottles or babybottles made of polycarbonate plas-tic-hard, clear plastic that may havea #7 recycling code (the number 7surrounded by three arrows forminga triangle). Boiling water can causethese bottles to release the chemicalbisphenolA (BPA) up to 55 times morequickly than when exposed to cool ortemperate water. BPA has been foundto cause genetic damage in lab ani-mals, but there is no evidence that itis a threat to humans.

Scott M. Belcher,PhD, researcher,pharmacol-ogy and cell biophysics, University of Cincinnati,and leader of a study of plastic bottles, publishedin ToxicologyLetters.

o Vitamin 0 improves lungfunction. Possible reason: VitaminD may help lung tissue to rejuvenate,a process that occurs throughout lifebut declines with age. The most im-portant source of vitamin D is sunexposure, which leads to synthesisof vitamin D in the skin. Good foodsources of vitamin D include fortifiedmilk and seafood, such as herring,salmon and mackerel. To ensure thatyou're getting enough vitamin D,take a supplement daily. To aid lungfunction, most people need about20 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D aday ... people over age 50 need doublethat amount-about 40 mcg.

Peter Black, MD, internist, department ofmedicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand,

and lead author of a study of 14,000 people,published in Chest.

yourtravelso Compare the cost of gas with

the cost of flying by using thefree calculator at www.fuelcostcalculator.com. Example: Driving fourpeople from Denver to Nashville ina 2007 Toyota Corolla uses about67 gallons of gas and recently costabout $260/round-trip ... comparedwith at least $952 for four round-tripair tickets.

Nancy Dunnan, editor, TravelSmart, NewYork City. 12 issues. $39/yr. www.trave1smannewsletter. com

o Trouble sleeping when youtravel to a different time zone?Take melatonin one hour before bed-time. The usual dose is one to threemilligrams. Melatonin is a naturallyoccurring hormone that helps adjustyour circadian rhythms and sleep cy-cle to a new time zone. Also: To helpyou relax so it is easier to fall asleep,try the herbal extract passionflower.Take one capsule three times a dayfor general relaxation. Melatonin andpassionflower are available at health-food stores.

Mark A. Stengler, ND, naturopathic physi-cian, La Jolla, California, and associate clinicalprofessor, National College of NaturopathicMedicine, Portland, Oregon. He is author ofBottom Line Natural Healing newsletter. www.DrStengler.com

yourfamilyo Early warning signs of au-

tism: When an infant does not smileat the sound of his/her parent's voiceby the age of four months ... does notbabble by nine months of age ... doesnot point to interesting objects orevents by 18 months .. .loses languageand/or social skills at any age. Chil-dren should be screened for autism attheir regular doctor visits at the agesof 18 months and 24 months. One inevery 150 US children is diagnosedwith autism.

Chris Plauche Johnson, MD, clinical profes-sor of pediatrics, University of Texas HealthScience Center, San Antonio, cochair of the

Autism Expert Panel, American Academy ofPediatrics (AAP), and coauthor of two AAPguidelines on autism, published in Pediatrics.

D Cough medicine is usedby teens to get high. More thanthree million US teens and youngadults have abused over-the-counter(aTe) cough or cold medicines.That is many more than have usedmethamphetamines in this age group.The commonly used cough suppres-sant dextromethorphan-found inmore than 140 OTC medicines-cancause disorientation, blurred vision,slurred speech and vomiting whentaken in large amounts.

Terry Cline, PhD, administrator, SubstanceAbuse and Mental Health Services Administra-tion, Washington, DC.

youl'moneysavel'SD Search for discount codes

on-line before making any purchaseon the Web. Up to three-quarters ofon-line retailers provide discount codesat least some of the time, and severalfree Web sites make them available.Try www.bradsdeals.com ... www.retailmenot.com ... www.currentcodes.com ... www.thedailygreen.com ... and www.couponcabin.com.

Consensus of on-line shoppers, reported inUSA Today.

D Best chance to get a refundfrom a store when you don't havea receipt: Find out about the store'sreturn policy, and conform to as muchof it as possible. Emphasize what youdo have, such as all the tags and theoriginal packaging. Request store creditor an exchange if you cannot get cashback. If you are a regular customer,

• •coming soon Inbottom line ...• TAKE THE LEAD IN YOUR L1FE-

from Dave Pelzer, A Child Called It.• What you need to know about

SEIZURES.• How to COMPLAIN TO THE

AIRLINES-and get results.• Keep rabbits and deer out of your

garden.• Creative ways to GET A JOB when

you're over 50.• SAVE ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

mention that. Talk to a supervisor if alower-level person is not helpful. Seeif the store will make a onetime ex-ception for you. Continue speakingto higher-level people, up to the storemanager if necessary. Be sure to expressgratitude for any help you receive.

Mary Hunt, editor, Debt-Proof Living, Para-mount, California. 12 issues. $29/yr. www.debtproofliving.com

youl'healthD Men diagnosed with "low

risk" prostate cancer who missmore than two radiation sessions in aneight-week cycle are at 25% higher riskfor recurrence than men who missedtwo sessions or less. Low-risk includesmen whose prostate specific antigen(PSA) scores are less than 10. Typicaltreatment requires radiation five daysa week for eight weeks.

David]. D'Ambrosio, MD, resident, depart-ment of radiation oncology, Fox Chase Can-cer Center, Philadelphia, and author of a studyof 1,796 men, presented at a meeting of theAmerican Society for Therapeutic Radiologyand Oncology.

D Mobile phones may interferewith sleep. Radiation from phonescan delay the onset of sleep, increasethe time needed to enter deeper sleepstages and cause headaches. Self-defense:Do not use a mobile phone within onehour of bedtime ... and use a hands-freedevice to limit exposure to radiation.

Bengt Arnetz, MD, PhD, professor, WayneState University, Detroit, and Uppsala Univer-sity, Sweden, and leader of a study funded bythe Mobile Manufacturers Forum.

D Smoking increases risk fortype 2 diabetes. Smoking can leadto insulin resistance, a precursor to

type 2 diabetes. Recent finding: Smokershave a 44% higher risk for developingdiabetes than nonsmokers. Self-defense:If you smoke, get help quitting from ahealth professional. Also, maintain ahealthy diet and exercise regularly.

Carole Willi, MD, chief resident, depart-ment of community medicine and public health,University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and leaderof a meta-analysis of 25 studies, published in TheJournal of the American Medical Association.

veryverypel'SonalD Don't tell a sick person that

he/she looks good. In a recent surveyof chronically ill people, half said thatthey found comments about how goodthey looked to be annoying or frustrat-ing. Better: Ask if there is anything youcan do to help.

Lisa Copen, director, National InvisibleChronic Illness Awareness Week Committee,San Diego, and leader of a study of 1,099 chroni-cally ill people.

D A high-sugar diet may lowera man's sex drive. Foods that arehigh in simple sugars, such as candyand soda pop, reduce blood levels of theprotein that carries testosterone-aneffect that occurs rapidly after highsugar consumption and may continueas long as the high-sugar diet does. Menwhose sex drive has dropped shouldconsider eating fewer sweets-thatmay be enough to increase testosteronelevels and restore sex drive.

Geoffrey Hammond, PhD, scientific direc-tor, Child & Family Research Institute, andprofessor, department of obstetrics and gyne-cology, University of British Columbia, bothin Vancouver, Canada, and leader of a studyof the effect of a high-sugar diet on mice andhuman liver cells, published in Journal ofClini-cal Investigation.

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