Glitch-Free Taxes
Listen
April 6, 2002
Last week we had tax questions answered. This week, we learn how to file our taxes problem-free with Bob Starkey, former national director of the IRS Collection Division in Washington, D.C. Also, we find out whether index funds are a better bet than managed funds.

• INTERVIEW #1: In 1988, one out of every 79 tax returns was audited. Last year, it was one out of every 173 returns. Now this year, the IRS is trying to reverse the trend. In this segment, Bob Starkey, former IRS National Director of Collection, joins us to talk about how to avoid an IRS audit.
• INTERVIEW #2: Erica Whittlinger tells it like it is. This week, Erica takes a look at past quarter and provides us a preview of the market next quarter.
• INTERVIEW #3: If you’re a faithful Sound Money listener, you probably have noticed that our economics editor Chris Farrell is a huge fan of index funds. But do index funds always outperform managed funds? We enlisted Scott Budde, director of equity portfolio analytics at TIAA-CREF to help answer this question.
• INTERVIEW #4: Consumer travel expert and Savvy Traveler senior correspondent Rudy Maxa joins to talk about budget airlines in Europe. Imagine paying thirteen dollars each way to fly from London to Dublin!
• Chris Farrell answers listener questions….on this week’s show he answers questions about what happens if mutual funds go out of business and about how the war on terrorism affects stock market volatility.
• Senior Editor for Money Magazine Marion Asnes says parents need to let kids behave like kids when it comes to spending and saving money.
• THE NEWS AND VIEWS WITH CHRIS FARRELL:
  Home Sweet Home
• BEST RATES: Best Credit Card Rates This Week
• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast

Global Economy
Listen
April 13, 2002
Is your wallet organized with neat rows of fives, tens, and twenties? Or is it overflowing with crumpled bills and credit card receipts? On Sound Money this week, author Bernice Kanner tells us if we're normal about money. Plus Eric Tyson, author of Taxes for Dummies, talks about 2002 tax planning. It's never too early!

• INTERVIEW #1: Walter Russell Mead, senior fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World talks about the global economy.
• INTERVIEW #2: Economics Editor Chris Farrell and host Stephanie Curtis talk with Mike Lynch, chief energy economist at the economics consulting firm DRI-WEFA about how the tensions in the Middle East will affect the price of gas at the pump.
• INTERVIEW #3: Money Manager Erica Whittlinger tells it like it is. This week, learn about which cap is the right fit for you—small-, mid-, or large-cap funds.
• INTERVIEW #4: Eric Tyson, author of the 2002 edition of Taxes for Dummies talks about how to plan for next year's taxes this year.
• Chris Farrell answers listener questions. This week, he answers questions about Series-I bonds and protecting retirement savings if an employer's on shaky ground.
• Bernice Kanner, author of Are You Normal About Money? shares what she knows about people's money habits and behaviors.
• THE NEWS AND VIEWS WITH CHRIS FARRELL:
  Home Sweet Home
• BEST RATES: Best Credit Card Rates This Week
• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast

The Housing Market
Listen
April 20, 2002
Spring is typically the busiest time of the year for the housing market. This time, Stephanie Curtis goes out with a housing inspector to learn what to watch out for when purchasing a home. We also talk about how to protect your dwelling with home owners or renters insurance.

• INTERVIEW #1: Ilyce Glink, author of "One-hundred Questions Every First-Time Homebuyer Should Ask" joins economics editor Chris Farrell and host Stephanie Curtis to talk about the basics of homeownership-from saving for the down payment to choosing a mortgage.
• INTERVIEW #2: Stephanie Curtis discusses the various options for home insurance policies in this interview with freelance personal finance writer Lynn Brenner.
• INTERVIEW #3: Money Manager Erica Whittlinger tells it like it is. This week, she talks about what to expect when inheriting property.
• INTERVIEW #4: Host Stephanie Curtis spends an afternoon with a home inspector. What is a home inspection and why is it an important piece in the home buying puzzle? Find out in this segment from home inspector John Trostle.
• Chris Farrell answers listener questions on topics ranging from setting up a 401k for a small business to avoiding private mortgage insurance.
• Commentator Dale Connelly imagines what it would be like if the value of your house was tracked on the "dow house," which we'll learn is much like the stock market.
• THE NEWS AND VIEWS WITH CHRIS FARRELL:
  The Stock Option Drama
• BEST RATES: Best Credit Card Rates This Week
• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast

Debt Consolidation
Listen
April 27, 2002
If your credit card bill is out of control, then this show is for you. We talk with a credit counselor about how to manage credit card debt, second mortgages, and more. Then take a look with us at the job market for graduating seniors. Also, Erica Whittlinger takes your calls.

• INTERVIEW #1: Richard Dodson, vice president of business development and a career counselor at the outplacement firm Lee, Hecht, Harrison shares practical advice for recent college grads looking for jobs with host Stephanie Curtis and economics editor Chris Farrell.
• INTERVIEW #2: Money Manager Erica Whittlinger tells it like it is. This week she answers your questions about investing.
• INTERVIEW #3: Credit card debt now averages $8,562 per American household according to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. And many Americans have car loans, student loans, and mortgages. How much debt is too much? Stephanie Curtis talks about debt consolidation with Linda Busching, certified consumer credit counselor with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco.
• Chris Farrell answers listener questions on topics ranging from investment clubs to 529 plans.
• Commentator and frequent Sound Money Guest Eric Tyson shares tips on what to do if you're addicted to spending.
• THE NEWS AND VIEWS WITH CHRIS FARRELL:
  The Great Migration
• BEST RATES: Best Credit Card Rates This Week
• RESOURCES: Books and Web sites mentioned on this week's broadcast