Briefly Noted

Features
Taking Aim at Your Retirement: A Look at Target Date Mutual Funds
There is an appealing simplicity in the concept of target date funds, but making the right choice among the many offerings and understanding how the funds work is not quite as simple as it appears at first glance.

The First Cut
High Quality + High Yield + High Growth Stocks
A starting point for investors. This issue's focus is on Lowell Miller's strategy for investing in high-quality growth stocks with high and growing dividends.

Investment Newsletters
Prior Bear Markets: A Poor Guide to Future Newsletter Performance
The current stock bear market has been so traumatic, it is likely to dominate investment decision-making for years. But that may not be such a good thing, because performance in bear markets is a poor guide as to how an adviser or strategy will perform over the long term. A look at the numbers.

Hot Links
Web Sites for Investing on the Go
Many investors are now turning to their Web-enabled mobile devices--such as a BlackBerry, cell phone or PDA--to access the latest price data on the go. A list of the mobile-based sites where you can get connected.

Stock Strategies
Lowering Your Costs: How to Take Advantage of Direct Purchase Plans
A simple, low-cost and low-minimum way to start investing in individual stocks is to go straight to the company source. Direct purchase plans allow you to buy shares directly from the company without a broker. A look at how the plans work and how to find them.

Investor Professor
Dividend Safety Signs and Warning Flags
Many investors have sought shelter from the stock market storm in more mature dividend-paying companies. But in this market environment, how can you be sure a company has the financial resources to continue payments? Signs and warning flags you can use to evaluate the safety of a company's dividend payment stream.

Stock Screens
Investing in Stocks With DRPs: Adding Yield to Your Returns
A value approach to screening for the stocks of companies that offer dividend reinvestment plans (DRPs). The AAII screen tracks companies from both DRP and non-DRP universes

Offbeat Offerings
Laddered Bond Portfolios
An investor reference for products that are not your typical offering. This issue's focus is on building a bond ladder.

Member News
Member News: Our Annual Update on What's Going on at AAII
An inside look at new developments at AAII over the last year and our upcoming Investor Conference.