Briefly Noted

Mutual Funds
Gimme (Tax) Shelter: Protecting Your Income Using Municipal Bond Funds
Mutual Funds: Municipal bond funds provide an easy way for many investors to keep their tax bills to a minimum. How to decide if they are the right choice for you.

Hot Links
529 Savings Plans Info On-Line
Hot Links: A guide to Web sites that review and rate 529 college savings plans, provide listings of available plans with details, and explain 529 plans in general.

Stock Strategies
Investing in DRPs: A Guide to Dividend Reinvestment Plans 2004
Stock Strategies: Buying a stock with little or no commission is the major attraction of dividend reinvestment plans. This year's annual guide lists nearly 300 companies that will sell their initial shares directly to the public.

Investment Newsletters
Performance Guides: The Longer the Track Record, The Sharper the Image
Investment Newsletters: The bear market that began in March 2000 had one silver lining: It provided the ultimate test of whether performance-monitoring systems can separate the good from the bad.

Tax Strategies
College Prep Guide: Planning and Saving for a Child's Higher Education
Tax Strategies: Although inflation has been tamed in most of the economy, education costs are still running wild. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to help collar the beast for your child or grandchild.

Stock Screens
Keep the Dividends Flowing: Screening for DRPs
AAII Stock Screens: Selecting from a universe consisting only of firms offering dividend reinvestment plans can result in a concentrated portfolio. But DRPs can provide a beneficial diversification component to aggressive, high-growth stock portfolios.

Departments
Briefly Noted
Current news items of interest to individual investors.