Marketplace Money for Friday, June 22, 2007

Segments From This Episode

• Financial advice for the class of 2007

  by Marketplace Staff

  You've got your degree and you're ready to take on the world. But are you ready to pay for it? We got some advice from the class of 2006 on how to manage your cash in the real world.

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• Day in the Work Life: Castles in the sand

  by Marketplace Staff

  He builds works of wonder with sand and gets paid for it. Life really can be a beach.

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• Mailbag for Friday, June 22, 2007

  by Marketplace Staff

  This week, Chris Farrell answers listener questions about choosing a closed end fund, investing as a teenager and taking care of a child with a disability.

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• Straight Story: Drug safety

  by Tess Vigeland and Chris Farrell

  

  Economics editor Chris Farrell says to better monitor drug safety, Congress should give the FDA more funding.

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• There’s a lot to like about cash investing

  by Marketplace Staff

  In today's low-inflation, rising interest-rate environment, cash investments like CDs and money markets are looking more attractive. Steve Tripoli reports on the quieter side of investing.

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• If you have money, they’ll know . . .

  by Ashley Milne-Tyte

  Debt collectors have found a new way to get their cash: an electronic service that lets everyone you owe know when you're making payments. Critics say this could cause things to get ugly. Ashley Milne-Tyte has the story.

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• You can’t always get a full tank

  by Tess Vigeland

  

  Just when you thought it was safe to get a quick, full tank of gas, the credit card companies shut you down. Tess Vigeland talks to the Associated Press's Ieva Augstums about how some consumers are finding out that their cards won't let them fill all the way up.

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• Be free of your cell phone carrier… for free

  by Tess Vigeland

  

  You're unhappy with your current cell phone service and you want to switch to another carrier — but then you get burned with a $200 fee. Tess Vigeland talks to Janine Kenney of Consumer's Union about how to get out of your contract without a penalty.

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• The best default for your retirement

  by Tess Vigeland

  

  The Pension Protection Act passed by Congress last year allows companies to automatically enroll their employees into a 401k. But regulators still have to decide what plans work best. Tess Vigeland talks to Charles Ruffle of PlanSponsor.com.

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• Buzzword: Moneycard

  by Marketplace Staff

  The difference between Wal-Mart and the bank just got smaller.

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