I POSTMASTER: Publication ...
Periodicals Mail I Lock in heating oil
R evival of the one-year
Treasury bill provides
alternative to certificates of deposit
an
(CDs), we hear from bond expert
Marilyn Cohen. The Treasury stopped
issuing one-year Treasuries seven
years ago, when it cut back on bor-
rowing amid a budget surplus, but
it has started offering them again.
Their recent yield was 2.2%. Unlike
CDs, interest on Treasuries is exempt
from state and local taxes. You can
buy Treasury bills directly at www.
treasurydirect.gov or through a bank
or broker.
Marilyn Cohen is president and CEO
of Envision Capital Management, Inc., Los
Angeles, and author of The Bond Bible (Pren-
tice Hall). www.envisioncap.com
B etter way to control high
blood pressure, reports Ken-
neth A. Jamerson, MD. A pill that
combines a diuretic and the ACE
inhibitor benazepri/ ... or a pill that
combines benazepri/ with the cal-
cium channel blocker am/odipine.
Eighty percent of people taking ei-
ther combination had blood pressure
reduced to an acceptable range.
Kenneth A. Jamerson, MO, is a professor
of internal medicine at University of Michi-
gan Medical School, Ann Arbor, and leader
of a study of 10,700 patients, reported to an
American College of Cardiology Scientific
Session.
F und opportunity: Putting
10% of your fixed-income allo-
cation into a high-yield (junk) bond
fund now makes sense, says invest-
ment adviser Ronald Roge, CFP.
Actions by the Federal Reserve to
ease the credit crisis have helped the
hard-hit junk bond market recover
somewhat, and that should continue
as the economy bottoms out. Favor-
ite junk bond funds now: PIMCO
High Yield Fund (PHDAX) ... T. Rowe
Price High Yield Fund (PRHYX) ...
Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund
(VWEHX).
Ronald Roge, CFP, is CEO of RW. Roge
& Company, Inc., a wealth-management firm,
Bohemia, New York. www.rwroge.com
ne
L
PERSONAL
VOLUME 29 NUMBER 13. JULY I, 2008
FOODS
PROVEN
U
p to one-third of all cancers
could be prevented if people
adopted healthier lifestyles,
including eating healthier
foods. For even better odds, choose
these seven specific foods that have
been proven to prevent cancer. ..
CABBAGE
It's high in anticarcinogenic
compounds called glucosino-
lates. Raw cabbage, particular-
ly when it is fermented as sauerkraut,
also is a good source of indole-3-carbinol
(I3C), a substance that promotes the
elimination of carcinogens from the
body.
The Polish Women's Health Study,
which looked at hundreds of Polish
women in the US, found that those
who had eaten four or more servings
per week of raw, lightly cooked or fer-
mented cabbage during adolescence
were 72% less likely to develop breast
cancer than women who had eaten only
one-and-a-half servings per week. High
consumption of cabbage during adult-
hood also provided significant protec-
tion even if little cabbage was eaten at
a young age.
Recommended: Three or more one-
half-cup servings per week of cabbage,
cooked or raw.
Alternatives: Any cruciferous veg-
in Ihis issue
2
Publisher's note: When pets cause
tension at home
3 HOW TO BOUNCE BACK FROM
MONEY MISFORTUNES
5 Why some real estate funds are
booming
9 AMAZING POWER OF AFFIRMATIONS
11 Update from Harvard: Should you
get the SHINGLES VACCINE?
12 A "smarter" computer password
13 Driving safely in summer storms
14 Surprising secrets to better tennis
TO FIGHT
CANCER
David Grotto, RD, LDN
Nutrition Housecall, LLC
etable, including brussels sprouts, cau-
liflower, kale and broccoli. A recent
study found that men who ate at least
three servings per week of broccoli or
other cruciferous vegetables were 41 %
less likely to get prostate cancer than
men who ate less than one serving per
week. Kimchi, a Korean pickled dish
that is similar to sauerkraut, also is a
good choice.
FLAXSEEDS
..., Little seeds with a nutty fla-
~ vor, flaxseeds contain lignans,
-"'" compounds that act like a weak
form of estrogen. One study found that
women with high levels of enterolac-
tone (linked to a high intake oflignans)
had a 58% lower risk for breast can-
cer. Flaxseeds also contain omega-3
fatty acids, which appear to inhibit
colon cancer in both men and women.
Recommended: One to two table-
spoons of ground flaxseed daily .•.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed David
Grotto, RD, LDN, a registered dietitian and for-
mer spokesperson for the American Dietetic As-
sociation. He is founder and president ofN utrition
Housecall, LLC, a Chicago-area consulting firm
specializing in family nutrition pro-
grams. He serves on the scientific I
advisory board of Men's Health, i
writes the "Ask the Guy-a-titian"
column for Chicago Wellness Maga-
zine and is author of 101Foods That
Could Save Your Life (Bantam).
•.•. you can sprinkle it on cereal or
yogurt or add it to soups or stews.
Alternatives: Two or more servings
per week of cold-water fish, such as
publishersnote
When Pets Cause Tension at Home
M
y husband wasn't keen on get-
ting a new dog. But when my
children and I wanted one so
desperately after our last dog died, we
agreed that the rest of us would do all
of the feeding and walking and scoop-
ing and that he would have to fill in
only "in an emergency:' This agreement
has definitely prevented the stress we
experienced with our last dog (which
was sweet but high maintenance).
As in my family, pets can be beloved
but also a source of tension. Sometimes
this tension is caused by an animal's
behavioral issues, which may require
training-but more often, it is the pet
owners, not the pets, who have issues
to resolve.
Here is relationship advice from Joel
Gavriele-Gold, PhD, a psychoanalyst in
private practice in New York City who
specializes in pet-related issues. He is
author of When Pets Come Between
Partners (www.drjoelgold.com) ...
Avoid "me or the pet" ultimatums-
particularly with dog owners. Dog own-
ers sometimes choose the dog and
end the relationship. Those who do
give up their dogs often become so
resentful that the relationship suffers.
Forcing your partner to get rid of a pet
is likely to add tension rather than solve
your problems.
Put your partner's treatment of the
pet in context. One spouse wants to
pamper the pet ... the other does not. If
you can understand the reason behind
the differences, you will be better able
to find a compromise.
Example: A wife grew up an only
child, wishing that she had siblings.
Her husband, one of eight children,
grew up wishing for privacy. It was
understandable that the wife wanted
her cat to sleep in the bedroom, while
her husband wanted it kept out. Their
compromise: The cat would be locked
out of the bedroom on Tuesdays and
mackerel ot salmon, provide cancer-
fighting amounts of omega-3s. For
more lignans: Eat walnuts, and cook
with canola oil.
Thursdays but allowed in
on other nights.
Consider whether the
pet is picking up on your (or your
partner's) emotions. A pet might
sense the hostility between partners,
choose sides and act out against one
spouse.
Example: A couple's dog growled
at the wife and urinated next to her
side of the bed after the family moved
from New Hampshire to New York. The
husband reasoned that the dog missed
its collie "girlfriend" in New Hampshire.
In truth, the husband missed his own
girlfriend in New Hampshire and ar-
gued frequently with his wife after the
move. The dog picked up on this anger
and took the husband's side.
This couple eventually divorced, but
partners who are willing to confront
their anger issues often find that their
pet problems are solved as well.
Check the facts before claiming
that a pet dominates your partner's
life. A spouse sometimes believes that
the family pet gets more attention than
he/she does. Often, though, the com-
plaining partner has unresolved issues
regarding control or attention.
Example: A man wanted his girl-
friend to get rid of her Yorkshire terri-
ers, which he said dominated her life.
The real problem was that this man
was worried he wasn't the center of
attention. He had felt ignored as a child
because a disabled older sibling had
required most of his parents' time.
This couple broke up, but for other
couples in similar situations, it's impor-
tant to understand what the real issue
is and to ask your partner for the empa-
thy and nurturing that you need.
MUSHROOMS
The common white button
mushroom found in super-
markets contains anticancer
compounds. Scientists who compared
vegetable extracts in the lab found
that an extract made from white but-
ton mushrooms was the most effec-
tive at blocking aromatase, an enzyme
that promotes breast cancer. Button
mushrooms also appear to suppress the
growth of prostate cancer cells.
Recommended: One-half cup of
button mushrooms, three or four times
per week.
Alternatives: Porcinis or chanterelles,
wild mushrooms with a nuttier taste.
OLIVES
~~~ A Spanish laboratory study
tI. found that two compounds in
olives-maslinic acid and olea-
nolic acid-inhibit the proliferation of
cancer cells and promote apoptosis, the
death of these cells. Other studies sug-
gest that people who eat olives as part of
a classic Mediterranean diet have lower
rates of a variety of cancers, including
colon cancer.
Recommended: Eight olives a day,
green or black.
Alternative: One to two tablespoons
of extra-virgin olive oil daily. Drizzle
it on salad or vegetables to enhance
absorption of their healthy nutrients.
ONIONS
When researchers compared the
10 vegetables most frequently
consumed in the US, onions had
the third-highest level of phenolic com-
pounds, which are thought to be among
the most potent anticancer substances
found in foods.
In a Finnish study, men who fre-
quently ate onions, apples and other
foods high in quercetin (a phenolic com-
pound) were .---------------------
60% less likely to
develop lung
cancer than men
who ate smaller
amounts. Quer-
cetin also appears
to reduce the risk
for liver and co-
lon cancers.
 Recommended: One-half cup of
onions, cooked or raw, three times
per week. Yellow and red onions
contain the most cancer-preventing
substances.
Alternatives: Apples, capers and
green and black tea, all of which are
high in quercetin. Garlic, a botanical
relative of onions, provides many of the
same active ingredients.
PUMPKIN
Pumpkin, like all winter squash,
is extremely high in carot-
enoids, including beta-carotene.
A long-running Japanese study that
looked at more than 57,000 partici-
pants found that people who ate the
most pumpkin had lower rates of gas-
tric, breast, lung and colorectal cancers.
There also is some evidence that pump-
kin seeds can help reduce the risk for
prostate cancer.
Recommended: Three or more one-
half-cup servings per week. Pumpkin
can be baked like any winter squash.
(To learn how to make Roasted Pump-
kins with Pink Potatoes, go to www.
BottomLineSecrets.com/Pumpkin. ) Divide your expenses into three
Alternatives: Carrots, broccoli and
all of the winter squashes, including
acorn, butternut and spaghetti squash.
RASPBERRIES
All of the foods that end with
"erry" -including cherry, blue-
berry and strawberry-contain anti-in-
flammatory compounds that reduce cell
damage that can lead to cancer. Rasp-
berries are higher in fiber than most
berries and are an excellent source of
ellagic acid and selenium, both of which
protect against a variety of cancers.
Recent studies have shown that
raspberries (or raspberry extract) in-
hibit both oral and liver cancer cells.
The responses in these studies were
dose-dependent-the more raspberry
extract used, the greater the effect.
Recommended: One-and-a-half
cups of raspberries, two or three times
per week.
Alternative: Cherries (and cherry
juice) contain about as much ellagic
acid as raspberries. Frozen berries and
cherries, which contain less water, pro-
vide a higher concentration of protec-
tive compounds than fresh ones .••
. PERSONAL~
HOW TO
Bounce Back
From Money
Misfortunes
y ou can better cope with money
misfortunes if you know in ad-
vance the major steps to take.
How to handle six common financial
challenges ...
• You can't pay monthly bills be-
cause of unexpected expenses.
Take action as soon as the problem
becomes apparent. Waiting until pay-
ments are past due and collection agen-
cies are involved will only make things
worse.
categories ...
o Expenses that cannot be delayed.
Example: Insurance premiums.
o Expenses that might be deferrable
if the lender agrees. Examples: Mort-
gage and car loans.
o Expenses that are discretionary.
Examples: Eating out and new clothes.
First, eliminate all discretionary
spending. Second, contact mortgage
and auto loan providers. Explain that
you had an unexpected expense and
request "forbearance." Propose a spe-
cific payment plan that would make
your debt manageable. Mortgage and
auto loan companies do not want to get
stuck with your house or car, so they
often will be flexible.
Example: A 32-year-old man faced
$3,200 in travel and burial expenses
after the death of his uncle. His mort-
gage lender agreed to accept interest-
only payments for three months.
• You can't pay a large, uncovered
medical bill. Explain your financial
situation to the hospital's or doctor's
billing department, and ask to set up
a payment plan that fits your budget.
Next, speak to hospital social workers
and local family service charities to see
if any grants or loans are available to
people in your situation. Ask family
members and employers for financial
assistance-big companies sometimes
have emergency loan or hardship grant
money available to help employees.
If you have health insurance but your
insurer will not cover the bill, get a spe-
cific explanation of why. If the insur-
ance company claims a treatment was
not necessary, ask your doctor to write
a letter stating why it was necessary.
There are multiple levels of appeal pos-
sible if your first request is denied.
Example: A 58-year-old widow was
hit with a five-figure bill when her in-
surance company claimed a colon can-
cer treatment was not necessary. She
negotiated a $200-per-month payment
plan with the hospital. Then she asked
her doctor to write a letter explaining
why the procedure was necessary. Her
insurer eventually agreed to pay a large
portion of the bill. She paid off the re-
maining debt in less than 18 months.
• You're dropped by your home-
owner's insurance company. Un-
fo rtunatel y, insurers disco n tin ue
various policies-especially homeown-
er's policies-all the time for all sons ~
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Stephen
M. Pollan, a New York City-based attorney,
financial adviser and career counselor. He is a
former assistant professor of finance at c.w. Post
School of Business and former CNBC on-air
personal finance expert. He is co-
author of several books, including
Die Broke:A R:tdical Four-Part Finan-
cial Plan (Collins) and Lifelines for
Money Misfortunes: How to Overcome
Life's Greatest Challenges (Wiley).
www.stephenpollan.com

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Editor: Karen Astrid Larson _ Managing Editor: Kelli McCourt
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Research Editors: David Boyer, Marilyn Knowlton
Contributing Writers: Janet Bailey, Mark J. Estren, PhD,
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_ BOTTOM UNEfPERSONAL publishes the opinions of expert authori-
ties in many fields. But the use of these opinions is no substitute
for legal, accounting, investment, medical and other professional
services to suit your specific personal needs. Always consult a compe-
tent professional for answers to your specific questions.
~ ~ of reasons. Do not bother trying to
get the decision reversed-that almost
never works-but do make sure you are
given the grace period guaranteed by
your contract before it is terminated.
Then ask your accountant, attorney or
real estate agent to recommend an in-
surance broker. Unlike insurance
agents, insurance brokers work with
many different insurance companies
and can help you find the best rates.
They often have access to better policy
information than you can find quickly
on-line.
The policies available to you might
be considerably more expensive than
your old coverage. Ask your broker for
cost-cutting strategies. Increasing the
size of copayments and deductibles of-
ten can dramatically reduce premiums.
Increase the size of your emergency
fund as well, in case you need to pay a
large deductible later.
• A parent dies with bills out-
standing. Carefully go through your
deceased parent's papers, and construct
a list of assets and liabilities. Keep an
eye peeled for any life insurance poli-
cies or evidence of safe-deposit boxes.
(For example, the check register in your
parent's checkbook might list ongoing
payments to an insurance company or a
bank.) Destroy credit cards, and cancel
the accounts.
When bills arrive, write "deceased"
on them and send them back, with a
copy of the death certificate. If bill col-
lectors call, explain that the estate will
deal with the deceased's debts once the
funds are in the executor's control. Re-
peat this as often as necessary. Surviv-
ing family members are not responsible
for a deceased parent's debts (unless the
debt stems from a joint account with a
surviving spouse or family member).
Some debts will have to be paid out of
the parent's estate, but waiting until
that stage will at least allow you to sort
out financial obligations first. Secured
debts, such as auto loans signed by only
the deceased, that are not paid off by
the estate will result in repossession.
• Your adult child needs financial
help. First consider your own finances.
Would solving your child's financial
problem create a financial problem for
you? Would it significantly affect your
retirement plans? If you are considering
making a loan, rather than a gift, calcu-
late how your finances would be affected
if this loan were not repaid. Many loans
to relatives never are repaid.
•If you cannot afford to make the loan,
explain to your child that you love him/
her but cannot give money that you do
not have to spare.
•If you decide to help, first insist on
having a conversation with the adult
child about budgets, spending and
saving. Explain what he needs to do
differently financially. Next, determine
exactly how large a gift or loan he needs
to make ends meet and how much you
can afford to give. Make it clear that
this is a onetime loan or gift, not an on-
going line of credit. If the gift is sizable,
Key Steps for
Coping with
Money Problems
T
he following steps can help you
get through most money chal-
lenges ...
I. Accept the problem. It has hap-
pened, and you can't change it. Blam-
ing others or yourself will not bring
you any closer to a solution. Looking
back and longing for the way things
were will only extend your pain.
2. Unburden yourself to others.
Resist the urge to be stoic. Tell others
what has happened, and you won't
feel so alone. If you say, "I need help;'
people often will try to help.
3. Diagnose the impact. List on
paper the tangible effects that this
event will have on your life. Writing
this list helps you separate the finan-
cial impact of the disaster from its
emotional impact. Once the emotional
baggage is separated out, the finan-
cial problem most likely will seem less
daunting.
4. Select a financial course of
action. List your assets and borrow-
ing options, and then list your financial
liabilities. Look for expenses that can
be cut from your budget.
5. Cultivate "disaster antibod-
ies." Consider this disaster a form of
training. The experience will not be all
bad-it will help you learn to respond
better to future challenges.
inform your other children that the gift
will be taken into consideration when
you divide your assets in your will. This
will prevent concerns about inequity.
Important: Deciding whether to
assist your adult child financially could
drive a wedge between you and your
spouse. Agree in advance to make
this decision as a team.
• You lose your job. If your em-
ployer insists that you sign a release
form in order to receive your sever-
ance package, don't do it right away.
It often is possible to get better sever-
ance terms through negotiation. These
negotiations can be quite simple-
whatever the company offers, ask for
more.
oIf you have a good relationship with
someone high up in your company, ask
that person to put in a good word for
you with the human resources depart-
ment regarding your severance package.
Insist on credit for unused vacation days
and a prorated portion of any annual
bonus. Ask if you can keep your com-
pany car and/or laptop until you fmd a
new job. Request continuation of health
insurance benefits. If continued benefits
are not available, see if you are eligible
to continue coverage under the Consoli-
dated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act (COBRA), the program that allows
former employees to payout of pocket
to continue their benefits for up to 18
months. COBRA coverage may be ex-
pensive, but it can be a vital bridge until
you arrange other coverage.
o Determine how longyou can continue
paying your bills out of your savings and
severance pay, and decide what resources
you will tap next if you have not found
another job by the time this money runs
out. Will you liquidate investments?
Borrow from family members?
oIf need be, consider taking a job that
you normally wouldn't to keep money
coming in, even if it has no connection
to your previous experience. Sometimes
these "emergency jobs" lead people into
other career directions. Don't worry
that your emergency job means you will
have to schedule future job interviews
around your work schedule-most
interviewers consider it a good thing
when job applicants are working .••
Why Some
Real Estate Funds
Are Booming
Mortgage Mess
L
ast year, real estate mutual funds,
many of which have been espe-
cially appealing to retirees be-
cause of their healthy dividend yields,
comprised the most unloved fund
sector. Tumbling property values, the
growing subprime mortgage and credit
crisis, and defaults by some develop-
ers helped knock down these funds by
nearly 15%, on average, in 2007. Also,
after seven years of huge gains for real
estate investment trusts (REITs)-the
main holding of real estate funds-
investors were ready to cash in and take
profits, creating a steeper decline.
But so far in 2008, these types of
funds have performed better, on av-
erage, than any other category except
Latin American stocks, natural re-
sources and precious metals. The cat-
egory gained 3.7% through May 31,
compared with a drop of 3.8% for the
Standard & Poor's 500 stock index.
REASONS FOR THE REBOUND
Earnings for many REITs have
beaten analysts' expectations this year
because office park occupancy rates
have held up well and rents have risen
somewhat. Also, shopping mall ten-
ants have not suffered as much as ex-
pected, and credit markets have begun
to strengthen, improving the outlook.
Although stock prices of some REITs,
including those with heavy exposure to
subprime mortgages, will continue to
struggle this year, those with the stron-
gest balance sheets are attractive.
Long-term investors would be wise to
allocate 5% to 10% of their overall invest-
ment assets to real estate mutual funds as
a way to help diversify their portfolios.
Also, retirees could benefit from some
Despite the
of these funds because their dividends
can bolster retirement income. REITs
must disburse most of their profits as
dividends to shareholders in exchange
for favorable tax treatment.
One fund is typically enough for most
investors. My favorite no-load (commis-
sion-free) real estate funds now, in order
of increasing aggressiveness ...
FOR CONSERVATIVE
AND MODERATE INVESTORS
Cohen & Steers Realty Shares Fund
(CSRSX). A conservative fund with
one of the industry's most experienced
research teams. It underperformed its
peers last year, but it has a superb long-
term record. Now the managers are
loading up on REITs that own rental
apartments and self-storage facilities,
two of the strongest-performing types
of REITs this year. The idea is that as
people downsize from larger houses that
they no longer can afford or shift to
rental apartments, these subsectors are
likely to see gains for several years. Per-
formance: 19%.* Yield: 2.5%.800-437-
9912. www.cohenandsteers.com
T. Rowe Price Real Estate Fund
(TRREX). Another conservative fund ~
*All mutual fund performance figures in this
anicle are five-year annualized returns through
May 31,2008, unless otherwise noted.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Roben
P. McCarthy, president of Kanon Bloch Carre,
Boston, a fee-only independent financial ad-
viser and consultant to retirement-plan spon-
sors and other institutional investors.
The firm conducts detailed
analyses of more than 19,000
mutual funds with evaluation
techniques that focus on iden-
tifying suitable investments
for various market conditions.
www.kanon.com

Classroom Supplier
Paul Hogan
McGrath Rentcorp
(MG RC) rents out modular
buildings-mainly for use as
classrooms-and network-efficiency
testing equipment for telecom
companies. It
I pays a dividend
II of $0.80/share/
, yr., for a 2.9%
recent yield, and
""'" has raised its div-
idend an average of 16% annually for
the past five years. Its stock is trading
at its lowest valuation since 2001
because investors wrongly think that
the firm's building rentals were hurt
by the downturn in construction.
Fiscal year: December. Earnings
per share: 2009 est./$1.97 ... 2008
est./$1.75 ... 2007/$1.67.
Paul Hogan is co-portfolio manager of
the $110 million FAM Equity-Income Fund,
Cobleskill, New York.
Infrastructure Expel'l
Michael Fusting
Michael Baker Corpora-
tion (BKR) does engineering
consulting on transportation
infrastructure. Its main division helps
construction firms handle planning as
. well as regulatory
I and environmen-
I tal matters. A less
$2247 i profitable division
$1961 does similar con-
"-W,,"'A'G' _~ suiting for oil and
gas drillers. While planning to sell
that division, Baker found accounting
errors related to improper recognition
of revenue. Result: No sale soon ...
final 2007 earnings reports are de-
layed ... consequently, the stock has
been hammered. But the company
is highly profitable and debt-free. It is
likelyto resolve its financial-reporting
issues soon.
Fiscal year: December. Earnings
per share: 2009 est./$2.25 ... 2008
est./$2.05 ... 2007 est./$1.75.
Michael Fusting is co-investment officer of
the $245 million Greenspring Fund, Lutherville,
Maryland.
Bottom Line/Personal's experts have
beaten their respective benchmarks over
the most recent five-year period or longer.
Weask each contributor to choose one stock
that he/she thinks has significant appreciation
potential over the next 12 to 24 months.
~~ with a strict process for determin-
ing values. It wisely steered away from
volatile home-builder stocks and mort-
gage REITs last year. The fund managers
believe this year's interest rate reduc-
tions will restore steady growth to the
economy and lift the fortunes of many
of its large-cap commercial real estate
holdings. Performance:18%. Yield:3.7%.
800-638-5660. www.troweprice.com
Third Avenue Real Estate Value
Fund (TAREX). A quirky fund that
seeks out bargains anywhere in the
world. It is made for the tough times we
face today. About 25% of its holdings
are in US REITs ... almost 10% are in
foreign REITs ... and nearly all of the rest
are in real estate operating companies,
which aren't required to offer dividends
but provide greater growth potential
than REITs that offer dividends. The
fund has found value in holdings such
as Mitsubishi Estate, aJapanese real es-
tate company that controls some of the
priciest commercial real estate in Tokyo,
where rent increases over the next three
years are likely to boost profits. Perfor-
mance: 15.9%. Yield: 1.9%. 800-443-
1021. www.thirdavenuefunds.com
FOR AGGRESSIVE INVESTORS
CGM Realty Fund (CGMRX). This
ultra-aggressive fund, managed by Ken
Heebner, has blown away the competi-
tion overall, but it had some sharp down
years along the way. The fund, which
often shifts its focus and recently had
only 19 holdings, interprets "real estate
investments" loosely. Example: 44% of
its assets were recently in industrial ma-
terials, such as crop nutrient producer
Mosaic. These diverse holdings allowed
the fund to sidestep the downturn in
REITs. Heebner considered REITs too
expensive in early 2007. The fund has
continued to outperform in 2008 as it
has shifted somewhat back into REITs.
Performance: 34.6%. Yield: 0.8%. 800-
343-5678. www.cgmfunds.com
Fidelity International Real Estate
Fund (FIREX). Foreign REITs out-
performed domestic ones last year, al-
though they have lagged this year. There
has been a boom in publicly traded real
estate stocks throughout much of Asia
and Europe, including England, where
the British government began allow-
ing the creation of US-style REITs last
year. Many of these new companies are
bigger bargains than US REITs. This
relatively small fund ($685 million in
assets), which was launched in 2004,
is taking advantage of that trend by
investing in REITs with good growth
prospects and reasonable valuations in
places such as Hong Kong, the UK and
Australia. This fund offers an excellent
way to diversify if you already have a
US-focused real estate fund. And its
1 % expense ratio is considerably lower
than those of other foreign real estate
funds. Three-year annualized perfor-
mance: 12.6%. Yield: 2.2%. 800-544-
9797. www.fidelity.com ••
July Checklist
Summer medicationtrap: Ask your
physician or pharmacist whether any
of your drugs increase sun sensitivity.
Examples: Some antibiotics anti-
depressants antihistamines birth
control pills diuretics ... nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Limitsun exposure ifany of your medi-
cations has this effect.
Don't get dehydrated: Drink be-
fore you're thirsty-water and sports
drinks, in particular. Children, older
adults and people with diabetes are
especially susceptible to dehydration .
Alcohol increases dehydration risk, so
avoid it when you're in the sun.
Better bug protection: Avoid
brightly colored clothing, aftershave
lotion, cologne, perfume, hair spray
and scented soap. Don't use prod-
ucts that contain both sunscreen and
insect repellent. Sunscreen must be
reapplied every two hours-but repel-
lent lasts for six hours or more.
Airline bumping self-defense:
Avoid being bumped from overbooked
flights by checking in on-line within
24 hours of flight time. Silver lining:
Compensation for bumped passen-
gers has been doubled-up to $800,
depending on the ticket price and the
length of the delay.
Happier airporting: Find out about
airport amenities-massages, nail
salons, children's play areas, game
rooms, chapels, etc.-before you go
so that you are better prepared for
a long delay. Airport lookup: www.
ad -na.org/i ndex/ airportsyou_1 ist.
 PLANNING PAYS
iabetic eye disease may
D predict heart failure, we
hear from Tien Y. Wong, MD, PhD. Ac-
Many people are losing
cording to a recent study, people who
have diabetic retinopathy-diabetes-
thousands in Social Security.
related damage to blood vessels in
the retina-have more than double How NOT to be one Q
the risk for heart failure than diabetes
patients with healthy retinas. Self- a/them... ~
defense: Everyone who has diabetes
needs a comprehensive, dilated eye
exam at least once a year. People in
whom retinopathy is detected should
have a complete cardiac exam-and
regular follow-ups.
Tien Y. Wong, MD, PhD, is professor and

D
chair of ophthalmology, Centre for Eye Research,
eciding when you should start 85, that translates to $21,000 less in
University of Melbourne, East Melbourne, Austra- collecting SocialSecurity retire- total payments, even with the four
lia, and senior author of a study of 1,021 adults ment benefits can be difficult. extra years of checks (not including
with type 2 diabetes, published in Journal of the
American College of Cardiology
The decision could alter how much cost-of-living adjustments). So it may
you and your survivors collect by tens be better to wait. (Exception: If you
W ait to lock in heating oil
rates for winter, says ener-
gy analyst James L. Williams. Pric-
of thousands of dollars. start taking benefits before full retire-
ment age and save or invest the money
WHEN YOU ARE ELIGIBLE wisely rather than spend it, you might
es have topped $4 a gallon, about Although anyone eligible for Social close the gap.) If you wait until age
double what they were a year ago.
Security retirement benefits can start 70, rather than age 66, to start col-
That reflects soaring crude oil prices,
collecting a "reduced" amount as lecting, that $1,000 "full retirement"
which may back off as a recession
early as age 62, monthly check
hits, as well as very high refinery price It Often Pays to Postpone Social Security bee 0 m e s a
what the gov-
markups, which cannot last. Expect
ernment calls $1500 .-----..------- $1,320 month-
home heating oil prices to drop by
"full" benefits ly check. That's
50 cents a gallon by late summer.
Caution: Because no one can be are not avail- k
1200 an additional
certain which way oil prices will go,
able until the ~ $9,600 you
if you are on a fixed income and can
so-called "full" ~>- collect from the
afford today's locked-in prices but not (or "normal") £; I Social Security
much more, you may want to lock in retirement ~ : Administration
your price now. age, which : if you live to
James L. Williams is an energy analyst at ranges from 600 : age 85.
WTRG Economics, London, Arkansas, which 65 to 67 years 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 Of course,
assists consumers, businesses and producers
old, de pen d - Age When Benefit Payments Start the best time
in analyzing energy price risks.
ing on the year 'The government designates 66 the "full" or "normal" to start taking
idney stones are more retirement age for people born between January 2, 1943,

K common in people with meta-

bolic syndrome, warns Holly Kramer,
MD. Traits of metabolic syndrome in-
clude enlarged waist, increased fast-
ing glucose level, high blood pressure,
high triglycerides (blood fats) and low
levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. To
lower the risk for kidney stones, be
sure to exercise and increase fluid
intake. Also: Certain medications can
help prevent kidney stone recurrence.
Ask your doctor what is best for you.
Holly Kramer, MD, is assistant profes-
sor, department of preventive medicine and
-'ector of the masters program in clinical
-esearch methods, Loyola University Medical
Gen-er, Maywood, Illinois. She is coauthor
::.= c. study of 15,000 people, published
- -erican Journal of Kidney Diseases.
you were born.
And even past
and January 1, 1955.
"For someone getting $1,000 at retirement age. Monthly
benefit figures do not include cost-ai-living adjustments.
benefits varies
depending on
that full retire- Source: Social Security Administration.
your situation,
ment age, the including how
amount of the checks you receive will much you have saved, how much
keep rising by 8% for each additional you need to spend each year, how
year that you wait-until you reach long you expect that you and/or your
age 70, after which waiting will not in- spouse will live and how much, if
crease your benefits. (The rate is lower any, income you expect to earn each
than 8% for those born before 1943.) year from age 62 until you reach ~
Example: If your full retirement age Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Joseph
is 66, starting benefits at age 62 will 1. Matthews, a San Francisco-based attorney
permanently reduce your monthly specializing in issues related to seniors, such as
checks by 25% from what you would Social Security.
He taught at the law school of University
get at age 66. That means if your full of California, Berkeley, and is author of Social
monthly benefit is $1,000, you will Security, Medicare 6- Government Pensions: Get the
in
receive $750 per month if you start Most Out of Your Retirement 6- Medical Benefits,
collecting at age 62. If you live to age 13th edition (Nolo).

~~ full retirement age. OTHER REASONS TO WAIT
To get an estimate of your life In most cases, it is best to wait until
expectancy, go to http://moneycen full retirement age, and in some cases,
tral.msn.com/personal-finance, and until age 70, to start collecting Social
click on "Retirement," then "Life Ex- Security retirement benefits ...
pectancy Calculator." You still are working or expect to
Rule of thumb: The longer you ex- return to work. Until you reach full
pect to live, the more likely that delay- retirement age, Social Security ben-
ing the start of Social Security benefits efits are reduced by $1 for every $2
will payoff. in earned income over a specified
The Social Security Administra-
amount that increases with inflation.
tion's break-even age calculator can
That amount is $13,560 in 2008.
help you decide the best time to start
Important: This penalty applies only
collecting benefits, based on how long
to earned income, not to investment
you expect to live. However, it does
income or rental income. When this
not take into account many other
penalty is figured into the equation,
variables, including the possibility
you almost certainly will be better
of earning interest or investment re-
off delaying benefits at least until full
turns on any benefits you take early
retirement age and receiving larger
and don't spend immediately. You
benefits later.
can find the calculator at www.social
You are married and are eligible
security.gov / planners/ morecalcula
for higher benefits than your spouse,
tions.htm (click on "Break-Even" Age
based on your earnings history. Af-
Calculator).
ter you die, your spouse can claim
survivor's benefits equal to your full
Your Full Retirement Age
retirement benefit-but only if you
The "full" retirement age is 65 for
wait until full retirement age to start
people who were born before 1938, but
collecting benefits. If you start col-
because of longer life expectancies,
lecting early, the reduced benefits
the Social Security law was changed to
gradually increase the full retirement age
carryover to your spouse after you
until it reaches age 67. die. However, if you postpone the
If you wait beyond your full retirement start of benefits past full retirement
age (up to age 70), your monthly benefit age, your spouse's benefits do not in-
may increase further. crease further.
Year of Birth* Full Retirement Age Alternative strategy: If you are
healthy and expect to live well into
1937 or earlier 65
your 80s, consider filing for benefits
at your full retirement age but then
1939 65 and 4 months immediately suspending those ben-
efits. Your spouse can't file for spou-
1940 65 and 6 months sal benefits until you file for your own
1941 65 and 8 months benefits.
To suspend your benefits, you must
1942 65 and 10 months
notify the Social Security Administra-
1943-1954 66 tion by phone or in writing.
1955 66 and 2 months Under this scenario, your spouse can
start collecting benefits as a dependent
1956 66 and 4 months as soon as you file, based on your sal-
1957 66 and 6 months ary history. A person age 62 or older
is entitled to receive benefits of up to
1958 66 and 8 months
50% of his/her spouse's benefits as a
1959 66 and 10 months "dependent" of the spouse, as long as
1960 and later 67 the person is not collecting benefits
based on his own salary history.
*If you were born on January 1 of any year,
At the same time, by immediately
you should refer to the previous year.
suspending your benefits, you allow
,,,
the size of your future checks to fur-
ther increase for each year you wait to
resume collecting benefits until you
reach age 70.
REASONS NOT TO WAIT
There are certain scenarios under
which you are better off starting to col-
lect benefits before you reach full retire-
mentage ...
You have good reason to believe
that you might not live beyond your
mid-70s. This may apply if you are
in poor health,have an unhealthy
lifestyle and/or
your parents, grand-
parents or other
close relatives have a
history of dying
young.
Alternative: If you are forced to
retire early because of poor health,
consider applying for Social Security
disability benefits (which are higher
than early retirement benefits), rath-
er than starting retirement benefits
early.
Note: Disability benefits run only
until full retirement age, at which
time full Social Security benefits
begin.
You have dependent children. If
you have a child younger than 18
years of age (19 if he/she is still in
high school) and you receive Social
Security benefits, this child will receive
up to 50% of your benefit amount as a
dependent in addition to the benefits
you collect.
If this child is younger than 16, your
spouse can qualify for additional ben-
efits as a caregiver. (The total amount
you and your family can receive in a
year based on your work record alone,
and not your spouse's, is generally
capped at 150% to 180% of your ben-
efit amount. So if both your spouse
and your child take dependent benefits
based on your earnings record, each will
receive less than the full 50% to which
he would otherwise be entitled.)
All of those extra checks often make
it worthwhile to start benefits as soon
as possible.
You need your benefits to pay your
bills and/or to afford the retirement
you want. The decision to begin col-
lecting early may allow you to do things
that you wouldn't otherwise be able to
afford .••
Did you Imow thai...
.. .stock returns come in bursts?
Example: If you were fully invested in
an S&P 500 index fund in December
1997, your cumulative 10-year return
would be 78%. If you missed the mar-
ket's 20 best days during the decade,
you would have lost 24%. Bottom line:
Market timing may hurt your long-term
investment strategy.
Study by Altair Advisers, independent
ment consultants, Chicago .
invest-
... women's stroke rates have
tripled? Recent finding: Among
women ages 35 to 54, 1.8% had a
stroke between 1999 and 2004-
three times as high a percentage as
found in an earlier study. Possible
reason: Increasing obesity. Women's
waists are two inches larger, on aver-
age, than a decade earlier, and body
mass index averages are rising.
Amy tis Towfighi, MD, assistant professor
of neurology, University of Southern California,
Los Angeles, and leader of a study of 9,706
people, presented at the International Stroke
Conference.
... men in their 305 and 40s are
the most unhappy members of
society? When asked to rate their
well-being on a scale of one to 10,
men ages 35 to 44 rated themselves
at 6.8, on average, versus an average
of 7.3 for everyone surveyed. Most
men are happiest at ages 1 6 to 24
(7.6), and most women hit a peak sat-
isfaction level of 7.7 over age 65.
Survey of 1,600 people by Department for En-
vironment, Food and Rural Affairs, London, UK.
... many Americans change
their religion? More than 25%
have left their childhood faith to join
another religion or stopped practic-
ing any faith. The greatest gain is
among unaffiliated people-agnostics,
atheists and people who have no par-
ticular religious affiliation.
us Religious Landscape Survey, Pew Forum
on Religion and Public Life, Washington, DC.
... Caesarean births are twice as
risky to the baby as vaginal births?
Babies born via C-section to women
who did not need the procedure have
twice the risk for death within the first
month as those born vaginally. Self-
defense: Have a C-section only if your
doctor feels it is necessary.
Marian F. MacDorman, PhD, statistician and
senior social scientist, division of vital statistics,
National Center for Health Statistics, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta.
Louise L.Hay on
The Amadng
Power of Positive
Affirmations
ffirmations are statements that
A reflect our views of who we are
and what we want. They can be
positive or negative. They influence
our feelings and thoughts-and what
actually happens in our lives.
Example: I grew up in an abusive
family. As a child, I believed that it was
natural for men to beat women. As I
went though life, I always attracted
men who abused me. It wasn't until
I learned about self-esteem and self-
worth that I let go of that pattern of
thinking. As a result, I started to attract
men who valued and respected me.
Positive affirmations don't miracu-
lously create a new reality-but they
do open the mental channels that can
allow good things to happen. People
who are happy and self-confident wel-
come good things into their lives. They
attract positive people. They create their
own opportunities. Here's how ...
• Turn a negative into a positive.
Statements such as, "I don't want to
be fat," "I don't like this relationship"
or "I don't want to be unhappy" are
actually negative affirmations. Dwell-
ing on things that we don't want merely
creates more mental space for those
things to thrive.
When delivered as positive affirma-
tions, the statements above become "I
am slender," "I have a wonderful new
relationship" and "I am happy."
• Train yourself. Most of us have
trained ourselves to be self-critical. We
can just as easily train ourselves to be
accepting.
Exercise: For the next month, say a
few hundred times a day, "I approve of
myself." Repeat it out loud or to your-
self when you're in the shower, walking
to the mailbox, etc.
At first, you'll probably notice that
repeating this mantra brings up oppo-
site feelings. You'll find yourself think-
ing, I don't believe itor Saying this makes
me feel silly.
These are resistance thoughts. Let
them pass through your mind. They
have no power unless you choose to
believe them. Counter them with the
original mantra, I approve of myself.
Your thinking will start to change.
• Look in the mirror every morning
and say, "I really love you." Do this-
and use your name. The universe loves
gratitude and appreciation. Appreci-
ating yourself means appreciating the
universe.
Imagine that you give someone a
gift. If that person is grateful and ap-
preciative, you want to give him/her
more presents. But if he is negative
about it and says something like, "I
don't like the color," you won't want
to be so generous again.
When you love yourself, you're
thanking the universe for the wonder-
ful gift that is you-and more gifts will
come your way.
• Say "thank you." I say "thank you"
to the universe at least a dozen times a
day-when I see the beauty of a tree, a
breathtaking sunset, etc. The more ~
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Louise L.
Hay, one of the founders of the self-help move-
ment. She is author of numerous books, includ-
ing You Can Heal Your Life (Hay House), which
has sold more than 35 million copies. www.
louisehay.com
She is founder and head of Hay House, Inc.,
a self-help publishing company, Carlsbad, Cali-
fornia, whose best-selling authors include Wayne
Dyer and Joan Borysenko.
~ ~ grateful you are for the good things
in our life, the more life gives you to
appreciate.
If ~ou want a joyous life, you must
think joyous thoughts. Example: Some
people notice that it's raining and say,
"What a lousy day." It's not a lousy day.
It's merely a wet day. There are lots of
good things to do on rainy days. Why
greet it with despair?
• Eliminate "should" thinking.
Many people force themselves to do
things that they dislike, because some-
one (often a parent) said they should
do them-go to a certain school, be-
come a lawyer, marry a particular per-
son, ete.
Better: Replace "should" with
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"could." The word "could" means that
you have choices ... that you can follow
your own judgment and listen to your
instincts.
Exercise: Write the phrase "I should"
at the top of a piece of paper, followed
by five or six ways to finish the sen-
tence. Examples: "I should be thin" ... "I
should be smarter" ... "I should have
more money now." You'll probably find
that most of the items reflect your own
fears and imagined limitations.
Now, instead of writing "I should,"
substitute it with, "If I really wanted
to, I could ... " Examples: "If I really
wanted to, I could be thin" ... "If! really
wanted to, I could be smarter" ... "If I
really wanted to, I could have more
money now."
• Tell yourself it's easy. Several
times a day, tell yourself how easy it
is to do something. "It's easy to have
good friends" ... "It's easy to find a job
I love" ... "It's easy to bring good into
my life."
This type of affirmation is one of
the simplest-and most powerful. We
tend to think that things are much more
difficult than they really are. The fear
of difficulty is really the fear of trying,
which keeps us from moving forward.
• Learn from failure. The fear of
failure can be paralyzing. How many
times have you been too afraid to try
something new?
We encourage children when they're
learning to walk. Every tiny step is a
success! Yet we're not so kind to our-
selves. We tell ourselves that we're
clumsy or stupid ... that our initial, halt-
ing steps are a failure.
Not true. Every experience that we
have is a learning experience. We get
better with practice ... discover new
strengths ... and find opportunities.
Exercise: Several times a day, use
"success affirmations." Say things such
as, "Everything I touch is a success" ...
"I am blessed beyond my fondest
dreams" ... and "Golden opportunities
are everywhere for me."
Much of life is a rehearsal, a time to
make mistakes, try new approaches and
learn how to make things better. Every-
thing brings us closer to success.
• Forgive others and yourself. We
give away our power when we harbor
anger toward people and events from
the past. Maybe you had an unhappy
childhood ... an abusive spouse ... a job
that didn't work out. Let it all go.
Dwelling on old hurts never makes
people happy. Worse, it hampers the
ability to enjoy the future because you
stop believing that you-and only
you-can make things better.
Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting or
condoning bad behavior. The goal is to
free yourself from negativity.
Exercise: Sit with your eyes closed
and say, "The person I need to forgive
is so-and-so, and I forgive him/her."
Repeat it over and over for five to 10
minutes. Then turn your attention in-
ward and take a minute or two to for-
give yourself for things you've done.
Repeat this exercise at least once a
week. Do it for every injustice or hurt
that you still feel. You'll come to real-
ize that the past doesn't control your
present ... and that you have the inner
strength to make yourself happy .••
l amin my 80s and not in good
health. I now realize that I was
not the best person or parent. Is it
too late to make amends?
It is never too late to change in our
hearts. It may be too late to repair a
relationship, but you will never know
until you try.
What to do: Make a conscious ef-
fort to become the person you want
to be. Start with a visit or phone call
to the person to whom you want to
make amends. Say you realize that
your past behavior was not what you
wish it had been and that you are
sorry. You also can say this in a letter.
Your comments may not be ac-
cepted at face value, especially if
the behavior goes back many years.
Stay focused on your goal, however,
and stick with your improved behav-
ior. Even if the other person never
believes you, you will know that you
made the effort.
Answer from: The Reverend Z. Ann Schmidt,
director of pastoral care, Stamford Health System,
Stamford, Connecticut.
Have a difficult question? Ask our experts ..•
Send it to Readers Ask. Bottom Line/Personal, Box
436, Stamford, Connecticut 06904-0436 ... or via
E-mail toKaren@BottomLinePersonal.com. We
regret that we are unable to publish answers to all
questions or respond to all letters personally.
belle ays
• Beller mowing. Mow in differ-
ent directions each time so that grass
grows straight up. Use a mulching
mower so clippings become fertilizer.
Sharpen blades after every 10 to 15
hours of mowing. Mow often enough so
that you cut off less than the top one-
third of the grass blades. Grass should
be about 3.5 inches tall to stay healthy
in hot weather and prevent weeds.
Zachary J. Reicher, PhD, professor!turfgrass
extension specialist, department of agronomy,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
• Always have one electricity-
free phone in the house-one that
plugs into the jack and requires no
additional electricity. During blackouts,
wireless phones won't work and cell
phones work only as long as their bat-
teries last.
Barbara Pletcher, president, Prime Properties
Group, a real estate group that specializes in
helping stroke victims find homes that meet their
needs, based in Sacramento, California.
• Consider buying flood in-
surance even if your home is not in
a flood zone. Floods can occur any-
where, and real estate development
makes them more likely by changing
drainage patterns. Flood insurance for
property outside your region's 100-year
floodplain is less expensive and has
lower deductibles than for areas inside
the floodplain. Determine your risk at
www.floodsmartgov. You can buy the
insurance through an agent licensed
to sell flood insurance. Find one at the
National Flood Insurance Program Web
site, www.fema.gov/business/nfip.
Robert P. Hartwig, PhD, CPCU, president,
Insurance Information Institute, New York City.
www.iii.org
• Check labels when looking
for products made in the US.
The label "Made in USA" means all or
almost all parts and processing are
done in the US. "Assembled in the
US" means that the finished product
was put together in the US, but it may
consist of parts from other countries.
Some labels have qualifiers, such as
"Made in USA of US and imported
parts:' Don't draw conclusions from
brand names, such as "America's
Lock," or advertising slogans, such
as "America's Favorite Mushrooms:'
which tell you nothing about where the
products come from.
Consumer Reports, 101 Truman Ave., Yon-
kers, New York 10703. 13 issues. $26!yr.
Should you gel the
Shingles Vaccine?
An Update from
Harvard Medical School
Anne Louise Oaklander
MD,PhD
I
yf ou're 60 or older, it is time to get
vaccinated for shingles, according
to new guidelines from the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster,
is characterized by a painful and itchy
rash. It is caused by the same virus that
causes chicken pox (varicella-zoster).
Most people who have been infected
with the virus never get rid of it. After
an initial infection with chicken pox,
the virus retreats into nerve cells near
the spinal cord and brain, possibly to
reemerge later in life. About two in
every 10 people who have had chicken
pox eventually will get shingles.
Doctors diagnose more new cases of
shingles annually than any other neuro-
logical disease. About one million cases
are diagnosed in the US every year, with
more than half of those cases occurring
in patients 60 years old and older.
MORE THAN A RASH
When the shingles virus is reacti-
vated, it travels through nerves until it
reaches the skin. Common early
signs include pain, tingling and/
or itching. A blistering rash typ-
ically emerges several days later
and lasts up to four weeks. ~ the virus in another.
The rash usually appears on
just one side of the body, often as a
band that extends from the midline of
the back around to the breastbone. It
also can appear above an eye or on the
side of the face or neck.
The rash is the least important part of
shingles. It's uncomfortable but even-
tually will clear up on its own, with or
without medical treatment.
Main risk: About 20% of patients
with shingles go on to develop postherpetic
neuralgia (PHN), nerve pain that can
last for months or years. The pain from
PHN ranges from mildly annoying to
severe. Some patients experience dis-
abling pain that is exacerbated by the
slightest touch, such as the weight of
a shirt.
Other risks: Some shingles patients
go on to develop encephalitis (brain in-
flammation), retinitis (inflammation of
the retina of the eye) or myelitis (swell-
ing of the spinal cord). These com-
plications are rare, however. Chronic
postherpetic pain is the main risk.
WHO SHOULD WORRY
Anyone who has had chicken pox
can develop shingles-and the virus is
highly contagious. Anyone who comes
into contact with the virus-usu-
ally by direct contact with the rash-
potentially can be infected if he/she
has not had chicken pox before. He will
develop chicken pox, however, rather
than shingles.
It is safe for anyone who has had
chicken pox to come in contact
with someone who has shin-
gles-the shingles virus from
one person cannot "reactivate"
Shingles outbreaks tend
to occur most often in patients with
weakened immune systems-due ~
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Anne
Louise Oaklander, MD, PhD, a physician!
scientist who specializes in symp-
toms such as itch and pain caused
by various types of nerve injury.
She is associate professor of neu-
rology at Harvard Medical School
and Massachusetts General Hos-
pital, both in Boston.

Gina Trapani.
A IISmarier" Computer Password
T 3
he most common solutions for
keeping track of your computer
passwords no longer provide
enough protection. Are you still doing
the following?
Picking obvious passwords, such
as 123456, abc123, [Your Pet's
Name] or [Your Mother's Maiden
Name]. Problem: Many people can
guess these easily and break into your
accounts.
Using the same password for
multiple accounts. Problem: This al-
lows a person who knows your pass-
word to access more than one of your
accounts.
Taping password reminders to
your computer screen or leaving them
in the top drawer of your desk. Prob-
lem: They are easily accessible to any-
one who enters your home or office.
Better strategies ...
HIGH-SECURITY PASSWORD
The safest passwords are nondic-
tionary words of at least eight char-
acters that contain a combination of
numbers and lowercase and upper-
case letters.
This sounds like a chore, but it's ac-
tually easy if you use this three-step
system ...
Use a mnemonic device to come
1 up with your "core" password.
Use a memorable combination, such
as your spouse's initials and the month
and day of your anniversary. Example:
If your spouse's initials are ST and
you were married on June 3, your core
password is ST0603.
Create unique passwords by
2 using variations on your core
password. Take the name of the par-
ticular Web site you are creating a
password for, and add the first letter
to the front of your core password and
the last letter to the end, all in lower-
case. Examples: If you use the Ama-
zon.com Web site, your password is
aST0603n ... if you go to Vanguard.
com, your password is vST0603d.
Lifehacker.com
For added protection, add a layer
of variation to your core pass-
word. For example, if your Vanguard
password (vST0603d) doesn't feel
secure enough, go one step further.
Add another number to the end of it.
Take the final letter of your password
and convert it to the corresponding
number on a telephone number pad.
Since the letter "d" corresponds to
the number "3;' your new password is
vST0603d3. That's nearly impossible
to crack, but fairly easy to re-create
should you forget it.
EXTRA SECURITY
Choose the right security question.
Many Web sites now require you to an-
swer a preselected personal question
when you choose a password. You're
usually allowed to select the question
you want to use. Avoid picking one
whose answer is open to interpretation
or difficult to spell. Example: I usually
use a security question that asks for
the city of my birth, but not one that
asks for my favorite food (which could
change) or my elementary school. (Was
it PS 12 or P.S. 12 or PS #12?)
Write down your passwords and
security answers. Keep this informa-
tion in a secure place, such as a safe-
deposit box. If you die or are injured,
your family still will have a way to ac-
cess your Web site accounts.
Consider password-management
software protected with encryption.
You create a database of all your pass-
words on your computer and secure
the file with a master password. My
favorite encryption software: KeePass,
http://keepass.info. Cost: Free. Put
your master password in your safe-
deposit box.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Gina
Trapani, author of Upgrade Your Life: The Life-
hacker Guide to Working Smarter, --~
Faster, Better (Wiley).
Based in San Diego, she is
creator of Lifehacker.com, a Web
site that provides daily advice and I
links about technology and personal
productivity.
~ ~ to advanced age ... diseases, such as
cancer or AIDS ... or treatment with
steroids, chemotherapy or the drugs
used to prevent organ rejection after
transplants.
Healthy people who get shingles
are unlikely to suffer a second attack,
because the emergence of the shingles
virus reboosts their immunity. Decades
can pass before a second attack. Since
most people get their first shingles case
in middle age or later, they probably
won't live long enough to get it again.
Patients with depressed immunity,
however, may have subsequent or pro-
longed shingles.
THE VACCINE
The shingles vaccine, Zostavax, was
licensed by the Food and Drug Ad-
ministration (FDA) in 2006 following
a study of more than 38,000 men and
women ages 60 and older. Those who
got the vaccine were 51 % less likely to
develop shingles than those in a control
group. Even when the vaccine didn't
prevent shingles, the shingles attack
was milder and the risk of PHN was
reduced by 67%.
The CDC's new guidelines recom-
mending the vaccine for everyone age
60 and older were announced in May of
this year, replacing a provisional recom-
mendation made in 2006. The vaccine
also is recommended for those who are
currently healthy but who might expe-
rience significant immune impairments
in the future. Patients with a new can-
cer diagnosis, for example, or someone
who is anticipating a transplant pro-
cedure should ask their doctors about
getting the vaccine.
Important: Patients with a blood can-
cer, such as multiple myeloma, and those
who take immunosuppressive medica-
tions for conditions such as lupus or
rheumatoid arthritis should ask their
doctors if they need the vaccine.
The vaccination, given once by injec-
tion, costs about $300 (less at public
health agencies) and usually is covered
by insurance. Some insurance compa-
nies won't cover the cost of the vaccine
i when it's given to patients who already
I
I have had shingles, because their risk of
I a subsequent attack is low.
According to the CDC, the shin-
(-0) gles vaccine should not be given to
patients who are allergic to gelatin or
the antibiotic neomycin ... those with
active, untreated tuberculosis ... those
with a history of bone marrow cancer
or lymphatic cancer. .. or women who
are pregnant or planning to get preg-
nant within rhree month of getting
the vaccine.
IF YOU GET SHINGLES
Patients who do deyelop shingles
often can reduce the duration and/or
severity of the infection, and their risk
for developing PHK with the prompt
use of antiviral drugs within 72 hours
after onset of the rash .
Three antiviral d~ -aC)clot'ir
(Zovirax), valaC)clotir -alttex) and
famciclovir (Farnvir -appear to be
equally effective when raken for seven
days. (AcyclO\ir, which has to be taken
every five hours is I expensive but
less convenient than the other drug ,
which are taken three times daily.) The
earlier these medications are started,
the more effective they appear to be at
terminating a shingles outbreak.
One study found that shingles pa-
tients treated with the antiviral famci-
clovir were free of pain in 63 days, on
average, compared with an average of
119 days in patients given a placebo.
In real life, however, the drugs tend to
be less effective than clinical studies
suggest. Reasons: Delays in diagnosis
and/or getting a prescription mean
that some patients don't start the drug
until they have had the infection for
more than 72 hours. Others may for-
get to take every dose.
Other options: Patients who combine
an antiviral drug with an oral steroid
(taken for three weeks in a tapering
dose) may experience less pain and/or
skin discomfort. The steroid/antiviral
combination also may reduce the risk
for developing PHN.
SELF-CARE
During the rash phase of shingles,
some patients can get temporary relief
by taking an over-the-counter pain-
killer or an anti-inflammatory, such as
ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Applica-
tions of hydrocortisone cream or the
use of cool, moist compresses also can
help relieve pain and itching .••
Thick fog ...
Downpours .
High winds .
he best advice for driving in bad
weather: Don't. Postpone your
trip if roads look bad or news
reports warn of treacherous conditions.
Unfortunately, bad weather sometimes
takes us by surprise, and some trips can-
not be delayed. How to drive safely ...
THICK FOG
Turn on your fog lights if you have
them-or your headlights if you
don't-but not your high bearns, which
might cause glare. Reduce your speed
enough that you could stop safely if
something appears out of the fog in
front of you, even if this means slowing
to a crawl. Tap your brakes to flash your
brake lights as you decelerate, warning
drivers behind you that you are slow-
ing. It's illegal in some states to drive
with your hazard lights on, but that can
increase visibility.
If you cannot see more than a few
car lengths ahead, pull over and wait
for the fog to lift. Pull over as far as
possible so that you don't have to park
on the shoulder and there is some dis-
tance between you and the road. Poor
visibility could cause another vehicle to
stray from its lane, creating danger for
cars parked on the shoulder. Drive past
the shoulder only if you are certain that
the ground is level and solid enough to
safely support your vehicle.
Turn on your hazard lights when
you pull over, and remain inside your
vehicle with your seat belt on.
Safest roadside waiting spot in a
limited-visibility situation: Tucked
behind a guardrail. Watch for the end
of a stretch of guardrail, pull off the
road, then back in behind the guardrail
so that the metal barrier is between
your vehicle and passing traffic.
DOWNPOUR RAIN
Downpours can severely limit visibil-
ity. See directions for driving in fog at
left. In addition, wet roads reduce trac-
tion by about 30%, so reduce your speed
by one-third even if visibility is good.
The first few minutes of a downpour
are particularly dangerous if the region
has not had rain in many days. The rain
will cause oil that has collected on the
road to float to the surface, creating a
slick surface that further reduces trac-
tion. Drive with extreme caution, or
pull over and wait 10 minutes for the
oil to wash away.
Heavy rain also creates the potential
for hydroplaning, in which a vehicle's
tires slide across the surface of a thin
film of water, robbing the driver of both
traction and steering. Replace worn
tires with new ones to reduce the odds
of hydroplaning. Apply the brakes very
gently if your vehicle does hydroplane.
This shifts the weight of the car forward
onto its front tires, helping to return
your traction and steering.
Important: Resist the urge to slam
on the brakes, which could unbalance
the car and make it even more difficult
to control.
FLOODING
Do not attempt to drive on a ~
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed William
Van Tassel, PhD, manager of driver-training
operations at the AAA's national office in Heath-
row, Florida. www.aaa.com
He is a member of the Trans- r-
lI
portation Board's Committee
on Operative Regulation and
Education and a sports car rac-
er with the Sports Car Club of
America. L _

Greg Moran. Four Seasons Racquet Club
Don'l Hil Ihe Ball So
... and other secrets from a tennis pro
early 80% of points in amateur
N tennis are lost on missed shots,
not won on great shots. To win
more, stop trying to hit the ball as hard
as you can or drop it on the lines. In-
stead, play patiently and wait for your
opponent to make mistakes. Also ...
SINGLES
• Rethink your serves. Most ama-
teurs blast their first serves as hard
as they can and frequently miss. Then
they lay in soft second serves, which
their opponents anticipate and return
aggressively. Instead, hit both your first
and second serves half to two-thirds
as hard as you are capable of serv-
ing. This will allow you to get most of
your first serves into play. As long as
you vary the placement-and spin, if
you can-of your serve to keep your
opponent off balance, you will be in
good shape to win most of your service
points. If you do miss your first serve,
hit your second serve just as hard.
The perfect toss: Bad serves often
are the result of bad tosses. Pretend
that the ball is a glass of water that
you are balancing on the palm of your
hand. Lift your hand upward, releasing
the glass upward when your arm is fully
extended. Begin your swing when the
ball pauses at its apex so that you hit it
just as it starts to descend.
• Stop trying to hit winners when
you return a first serve. Instead, try
to return first serves safely down the
middle of the court, five to seven feet
above the net (one to two feet above
the net and at the server's feet if the
server charges the net after service).
The server has the advantage on the
first serve. If you try to hit quick winners,
you are likely to fail more often than you
succeed.
• Be more aggressive against a
second serve. Move three feet for-
ward, then try to drive your return deep
crosscourt.
• Hit most ground strokes cross-
court in singles tennis. The ball
ard
crosses over the net at the net's lowest
point, the middle, when you hit cross-
court, reducing the odds that the ball
will hit the net. Because hitting cross-
court lets you aim at the long diagonal
dimension of the court, it also reduces
the odds that you will hit long-and
increases the distance that your op-
ponent must run.
• When in trouble, hit up. When your
opponent has you on the run, lob your
return high and deep. Lobbing forces
him to retreat to the backcourt and
gives you a chance to regroup.
DOUBLES
• Avoid the one up, one back for-
mation against skilled opposition.
This conventional doubles formation is
reasonably effective against teams of
limited abilities, but skilled opponents
will exploit the huge gap that it creates
between you and your partner. Instead,
play both up if you are skilled at volley-
ing and covering lobs ... play both back
if you are not. Both back is the best
way to remain competitive against a
doubles team of greater skill.
• Don't try to "hit 'em where they
ain't!' It is very difficult to hit a shot
where neither opponent can reach it
when two opponents are patrolling the
court. Instead, aim ...
• At your opponents' feet. These
shots are very tricky to return.
• Right down the middle of the
court. Your opponents will have trouble
finding a winning angle on their return,
and there might be a crucial moment
of confusion as your opponents decide
who will return the shot.
• Over your opponents' heads if
both opponents are up at the net.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Greg
Moran, director of tennis at the Four Seasons
Racquet Club in Wilton, Con-
necticut. A teaching pro for more
than 30 years, he is author of Ten-
nis Beyond Big Shots (Mansion
Grove House) and is working on a
similar book about doubles tennis.
www.tennisbeyondbigshots.com .
•• flooded road unless you are certain
that the water is no more than a few
inches deep. Water depth can be very
difficult to gauge, and misjudgments
are dangerous-so always err on the
side of caution .
Turn around and find a different
route, or pull over and wait for the
flooding to subside. Do not wait right
at the edge of the floodwater-it
rise quickly.
could
If other vehicles attempt to cross,
watch their progress to determine
water depth. If the floodwater is only
a few inches deep, then it should be
relatively safe to cross. Be extremely
gentle on the gas pedal, and ease
your vehicle through the flood area
carefully.
After leaving the flood area, gently
apply your brakes, using slight pedal
pressure for three to four seconds sev-
eral times. This helps to "sweep" the
water off the brake system surfaces so
that they are dry (or at least less wet)
for the next application.
If your car becomes stuck on a
flooded road, remain in the vehicle
with your seat belt on unless there is
imminent danger that water could fill
the passenger compartment. If you
have a cell phone, call 911. If not, yell
or signal to other drivers that you need
help.
STRONG CROSSWINDS
Keep your eyes far ahead on the road
when driving in crosswinds. This gives
you the visual cues that you need to
most easily correct your course and re-
main in your lane.
Avoid driving next to other vehicles
when there are strong crosswinds. Side-
by-side driving increases the odds that
you will have a collision if the wind
pushes one of you out of your lane.
On windy days, ready yourself for
gusts-for example, you can grip the
steering wheel and prepare to make a
slight correction-when your vehicle
leaves protected locations and enters
open spaces. These include driving
out from under an overpass ... entering
a cleared area after driving through a
densely wooded area ... driving onto an
exposed bridge ... or accelerating past a
large truck. ••

,-
We form habits and then our
habits form us.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
philosopher, essayist, poet
(1803 - 1882)
yourmoney
o Penalty rates on credit cards
are heading sharply higher. The
Discover Card recently raised its de-
fault rate, which can be triggered by
missing a payment or going over your
credit limit, to a 31 % annual percent-
age rate (APR). Bank of America raised
default rates for some customers to
30%. Credit card issuers are very skit-
tish about risk and are quick to raise
rates for consumers exhibiting any
signs of financial distress. Self defense:
Make all of your payments on time.
Greg McBride, CFA, senior financial analyst,
Bankrate.com, North Palm Beach, Florida.
o Nonspouse beneficiaries
of 401(k) accounts now have the
right to transfer an inherited 401 (k)
to an IRA. This lets the heir stretch
withdrawals and tax bills over his/her
lifetime. The IRS has allowed this
type of transfer in the past, but some
companies did not offer it and required
nonspouse beneficiaries to withdraw all
401 (k) money within five years. The
IRS recently ruled that companies are
required to offer the option.
Ed Slott, editor, Ed Slott's IRA Advisor, 100
Merrick Rd., Rockville Centre, New York 11570.
12 issues. $125/yr. www.irahe1p.com
yoursmallbusiness
o Professional help for small
businesses. A free service from
Elance.com lets you find freelancers
to help you build a Web site, promote
your products, assist with legal or ad-
ministrative matters and more. You
can browse by the type of help you
need and read the resumes of avail-
able freelancers and reviews of their
work. You also can filter the appli-
cants by region and minimum rates.
o Most new businesses fail sim-
ply because they don't find enough cus'
tomers. Basics of effective selling: Meet
'PERSONAL~
.i$t.ill- •
~ t»
~ 6"S~) '41'41
f::il;:I..\
-c:;.~.l.J~
with each potential client to determine
how their buying decisions are made,
and target your approach to all those
who influence the buying decision.
Focus on your firm's strengths, not on
the competition-which you cannot
control. Listen to each prospect care-
fully to determine his/her needs and
find ways to meet those needs. Figure
out why the prospect should buy from
you-you must be able to articulate
this to him. Anticipate losing the busi-
ness, and analyze why this could hap-
pen-then adjust your approach so that
it doesn't.
Martyn Lewis, founder, president and CEO,
Market- Partners, sales consultants, Santa Rosa,
California, and author of Sales Wise (Fenestra).
selfdefense
o Do not pour boiling liquid
into plastic water bottles or baby
bottles made of polycarbonate plas-
tic-hard, clear plastic that may have
a #7 recycling code (the number 7
surrounded by three arrows forming
a triangle). Boiling water can cause
these bottles to release the chemical
bisphenolA (BPA) up to 55 times more
quickly than when exposed to cool or
temperate water. BPA has been found
to cause genetic damage in lab ani-
mals, but there is no evidence that it
is a threat to humans.
Scott M. Belcher,PhD, researcher,pharmacol-
ogy and cell biophysics, University of Cincinnati,
and leader of a study of plastic bottles, published
in ToxicologyLetters.
oVitamin 0 improves lung
function. Possible reason: Vitamin
D may help lung tissue to rejuvenate,
a process that occurs throughout life
but declines with age. The most im-
portant source of vitamin D is sun
exposure, which leads to synthesis
of vitamin D in the skin. Good food
sources of vitamin D include fortified
milk and seafood, such as herring,
salmon and mackerel. To ensure that
you're getting enough vitamin D,
take a supplement daily. To aid lung
function, most people need about
20 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D a
day ... people over age 50 need double
that amount-about 40 mcg.
Peter Black, MD, internist, department of
medicine, University of Auckland, New Zealand,
____,
and lead author of a study of 14,000 people,
published in Chest.
yourtravels
o Compare the cost of gas with
the cost of flying by using the
free calculator at www.fuelcostcal
culator.com. Example: Driving four
people from Denver to Nashville in
a 2007 Toyota Corolla uses about
67 gallons of gas and recently cost
about $260/round-trip ... compared
with at least $952 for four round-trip
air tickets.
Nancy Dunnan, editor, TravelSmart, New
York City. 12 issues. $39/yr. www.trave1sman
newsletter. com
o Trouble sleeping when you
travel to a different time zone?
Take melatonin one hour before bed-
time. The usual dose is one to three
milligrams. Melatonin is a naturally
occurring hormone that helps adjust
your circadian rhythms and sleep cy-
cle to a new time zone. Also: To help
you relax so it is easier to fall asleep,
try the herbal extract passionflower.
Take one capsule three times a day
for general relaxation. Melatonin and
passionflower are available at health-
food stores.
Mark A. Stengler, ND, naturopathic physi-
cian, La Jolla, California, and associate clinical
professor, National College of Naturopathic
Medicine, Portland, Oregon. He is author of
Bottom Line Natural Healing newsletter. www.
DrStengler.com
yourfamily
oEarly warning signs of au-
tism: When an infant does not smile
at the sound of his/her parent's voice
by the age of four months ... does not
babble by nine months of age ... does
not point to interesting objects or
events by 18 months .. .loses language
and/or social skills at any age. Chil-
dren should be screened for autism at
their regular doctor visits at the ages
of 18 months and 24 months. One in
every 150 US children is diagnosed
with autism.
Chris Plauche Johnson, MD, clinical profes-
sor of pediatrics, University of Texas Health
Science Center, San Antonio, cochair of the
Autism Expert Panel, American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), and coauthor of two AAP
guidelines on autism, published in Pediatrics.
D Cough medicine is used
by teens to get high. More than
three million US teens and young
adults have abused over-the-counter
(aTe) cough or cold medicines.
That is many more than have used
methamphetamines in this age group.
The commonly used cough suppres-
sant dextromethorphan-found in
more than 140 OTC medicines-can
cause disorientation, blurred vision,
slurred speech and vomiting when
taken in large amounts.
Terry Cline, PhD, administrator, Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administra-
tion, Washington, DC.
youl'moneysavel'S
D Search for discount codes
on-line before making any purchase
on the Web. Up to three-quarters of
on-line retailers provide discount codes
at least some of the time, and several
free Web sites make them available.
Try www.bradsdeals.com ... www.
retailmenot.com ... www.current
codes.com ... www.thedailygreen.
com ... and www.couponcabin.com.
Consensus of on-line shoppers, reported in
USA Today.
D Best chance to get a refund
from a store when you don't have
a receipt: Find out about the store's
return policy, and conform to as much
of it as possible. Emphasize what you
do have, such as all the tags and the
original packaging. Request store credit
or an exchange if you cannot get cash
back. If you are a regular customer,
• •
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• TAKE THE LEAD IN YOUR L1FE-
from Dave Pelzer, A Child Called It.
• What you need to know about
SEIZURES.
• How to COMPLAIN TO THE
AIRLINES-and get results.
• Keep rabbits and deer out of your
garden.
• Creative ways to GET A JOB when
you're over 50.
• SAVE ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
mention that. Talk to a supervisor if a
lower-level person is not helpful. See
if the store will make a onetime ex-
ception for you. Continue speaking
to higher-level people, up to the store
manager if necessary. Be sure to express
gratitude for any help you receive.
Mary Hunt, editor, Debt-Proof Living, Para-
mount, California. 12 issues. $29/yr. www.debt
proofliving.com
youl'health
D Men diagnosed with "low
risk" prostate cancer who miss
more than two radiation sessions in an
eight-week cycle are at 25% higher risk
for recurrence than men who missed
two sessions or less. Low-risk includes
men whose prostate specific antigen
(PSA) scores are less than 10. Typical
treatment requires radiation five days
a week for eight weeks.
David]. D'Ambrosio, MD, resident, depart-
ment of radiation oncology, Fox Chase Can-
cer Center, Philadelphia, and author of a study
of 1,796 men, presented at a meeting of the
American Society for Therapeutic Radiology
and Oncology.
D Mobile phones may interfere
with sleep. Radiation from phones
can delay the onset of sleep, increase
the time needed to enter deeper sleep
stages and cause headaches. Self-defense:
Do not use a mobile phone within one
hour of bedtime ... and use a hands-free
device to limit exposure to radiation.
Bengt Arnetz, MD, PhD, professor, Wayne
State University, Detroit, and Uppsala Univer-
sity, Sweden, and leader of a study funded by
the Mobile Manufacturers Forum.
D Smoking increases risk for
type 2 diabetes. Smoking can lead
to insulin resistance, a precursor to
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type 2 diabetes. Recentfinding: Smokers
have a 44% higher risk for developing
diabetes than nonsmokers. Self-defense:
If you smoke, get help quitting from a
health professional. Also, maintain a
healthy diet and exercise regularly.
Carole Willi, MD, chief resident, depart-
ment of community medicine and public health,
University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and leader
of a meta-analysis of 25 studies, published in The
Journal of the American Medical Association.
veryverypel'Sonal
D Don't tell a sick person that
he/she looks good. In a recent survey
of chronically ill people, half said that
they found comments about how good
they looked to be annoying or frustrat-
ing. Better: Ask if there is anything you
can do to help.
Lisa Copen, director, National Invisible
Chronic Illness Awareness Week Committee,
San Diego, and leader of a study of 1,099 chroni-
cally ill people.
D A high-sugar diet may lower
a man's sex drive. Foods that are
high in simple sugars, such as candy
and soda pop, reduce blood levels of the
protein that carries testosterone-an
effect that occurs rapidly after high
sugar consumption and may continue
as long as the high-sugar diet does. Men
whose sex drive has dropped should
consider eating fewer sweets-that
may be enough to increase testosterone
levels and restore sex drive.
Geoffrey Hammond, PhD, scientific direc-
tor, Child & Family Research Institute, and
professor, department of obstetrics and gyne-
cology, University of British Columbia, both
in Vancouver, Canada, and leader of a study
of the effect of a high-sugar diet on mice and
human liver cells, published in Journal ofClini-
cal Investigation.
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