Life is hard enough without having to decipher everything. Each week, Sound Money will bring you a word or a phrase that has bubbled to the top of the news. For instance - Alternative Minimum Tax. You hear it, you see it, but do you really know it?

Record numbers of people are scraping together down payments to buy property. But how do you know if buying a home is the right choice for you? Kai talked to real estate expert and personal finance writer, Elizabeth Razzi, about buying vs. renting.

Chris Farrell answers more of your burning money questions. This week, he gives advice on emerging markets, interest-only mortgages, finding a financial planner, index funds, CD rates, and becoming a landlord.

President Reagan had his version. And now Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry has his. This week Senator Kerry released his own version of the misery index, and is asking American voters: Are you more miserable now than four years ago? We decided to ask economist Mark Zandi about the politics of misery, and whether voters should pay attention to this economic attitude.