Find the Answers to Your Money Questions

Have a personal finance question? Chances are you can end your Web search right here. Kiplinger.com's archive contains articles from Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Kiplinger's Retirement Report, Web exclusive features and chapters from Kiplinger books dating back to 1996. If we haven't covered your question, you can turn to the Kiplinger.com community or Ask Kim your question. You can also learn the fundamentals of managing your money, use interactive calculators, search for investments and more. This guide will help you navigate our site and find the information you need.

GETTING AROUND

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

TOOLS

GETTING AROUND

How is the site organized?

The site organization centers around four primary areas:

• Investing. Here's where you would go for articles and columns on stock, mutual fund and bond investing. You'll also get the latest market news and numbers. Your personalized watchlist also resides here.



• Your Finances. This department contains information on banking and credit, taxes, and insurance. You'll also find our daily Yields and Rates page here, a comprehensive list of daily credit and deposit rates.



• Planning. If you have a long-term goal, start here. You'll find information on saving for retirement and college, how to establish and stick to a budget, and put together an estate plan.



• Spending. Make sure you get the best products for the best prices. We'll show you how to buy a car and home, as well as review all the little luxuries that go along with them. Plus, get info on cool gadgets and bargain travel.

The Basics, our collection of how-to articles, Tutorials and Tools also are divided into these same categories. And no matter where you are in the site, look for a sampling of Basic stories in the "Getting Started" boxes and related calculators in the Tools boxes. For a detailed look at the site organization, see our site index.

How do the archives work?

You can search our archive of publications back to 1996. Just enter a key word (or words) in the search box above and click the "Go" button. You can narrow your results by selecting a specific publication, month or year to search. The archives contain both free and pay-per-view articles. Articles that require a fee will display a $. After completing the purchasing process, the article should pop-up in a new window. (Pop-up blocking and some security software may interfere with the delivery of your article. If you have this type of software installed on your PC, you may want to disable it temporarily.) See About the Archive for more details.

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Can I look at past magazine issues?

Yes. You can read stories from the issue currently on newsstands, as well as the previous two issues free.

A magazine article referred to more material online. Where can I find the link?

The Web Links page contains all the Web-only extras featured in the pages of Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Scroll down the page to see links from previous issues.

What are "Basics" and "Tutorials?"

The Basics section contains easy-to-understand articles organized around our four main topic areas -- Investing, Your Finances, Planning and Spending. These stories are intended to introduce you to the key concepts and issues of money management. Be sure you review our financial FAQs for answers to common investing, finances, planning and spending questions.

Tutorials focus on an activity, such as buying a home or starting an IRA. These guides take an in-depth look at the various aspects of the topic to give you a clear understanding of how to reach your goal.

Where can I find definitions for financial terms?

If you're need a brief explanation of a key word or phrase, try our glossary.

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How can I find out what's new on the site?

Sign up for e-mail updates. The Weekly Updates e-mail summarizes the top stories that have been added to the site, and spotlights popular tools and related features. You can also sign up to receive our Web-only columns via e-mail. Signing up is easy. Simply go to the sign-in page, enter your e-mail address and select the updates you want to receive. That's it. And don't worry about your privacy. We won't share your information with anyone or bombard your inbox with junk mail.

Where can I find the latest interest rates for loans and CDs?

Visit the Yields & Rates in the Your Finances section. You'll find the overnight national averages, plus search tools to help you find the lowest interest credit cards and loans or highest yielding CDs, money market mutual funds and more.

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QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

How do I ask a question in the community?

The Kiplinger.com Community is your place to ask questions and exchange ideas with other Kiplinger's readers, writers and editors. You can search the forums and browse the existing posts to see if your issue has been addressed, or ask your own question by becoming a registered member of the community. Once you're registered, posing a question is easy. Select the appropriate area to ask your question, then click the "New Thread" button. To add a comment to an existing thread, click the "Post Reply" button. For more information on registering, using the forum, and reading and posting messages, see the Community's FAQs.

Who is Kim and does she answer every question?

Kim Lankford is Kiplinger's Q&A editor. In addition to her responses in the magazine, Kim answers three reader questions a week on Kiplinger.com. See her current column.

Because of the number of questions she receives, Kim can't answer every one. But she tries to answer the most common questions and address the most topical issues of the day. If you don't get an answer, chances are Kim may have answered a similar question recently. Browse past answers or Ask Kim your question now.

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What if I have car-buying question?

If you're in the market for a new car, ask auto editor Mark Solheim. Mark's column, Drive Time, covers anything on four wheels. It appears monthly in Kiplinger's, and a special column only online. Ask Mark your question.

I have questions about raising a money smart kid.

Kids are full of questions, and parents and grandparents are supposed to have all the answers. Unfortunately, money is a mystery to many adults, too. Enter Janet Bodnar, Kiplinger's executive editor and a nationally recognized expert in the field of children's and family finances. Janet's column, Money Smart Kids appears weekly on Kiplinger.com. View her latest column (scroll to the bottom to ask Janet a question) or browse past columns.

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What if I have a question about a specific article or want to e-mail someone on staff?

If you want to send a message directly to the writer of an article, click their byline. This will take you to their bio, which contains a link to their e-mail address. Not all writers have a bio or e-mail address with Kiplinger's. If that's the case, click the Contact Us link and select Feedback. Complete the form, including which publication your question pertains to. This will help us answer your question faster.

What if I have a question about the Web site?

Use the Feedback page. For advertising, technical or marketing questions, click the appropriate link at the top of the page. If you have a question or comment about an article or tool on Kiplinger.com complete the Feedback form and select Kiplinger.com from the list of options.

I have a question about my magazine subscription.

And we want to answer it as quickly and completely as possible. Our customer service page will help you find the answers to many basic questions and conduct basic transactions online. You can renew your subscription, review your account status, pay your bill or change your mailing address. You can also call 800-544-0155 to subscribe to the magazine or get answers to your subscription questions.

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TOOLS

What kind of calculations can I run?

We've got calculators and tools to help you figure everything from how much fees will affect the returns on your mutual funds to the payoff for going back to school.

• Investing tools include Kiplinger's Stock Finder and Fund Finder as well as our ranking of best "bankerage" companies.



• Your Finances tools will help you search for the best credit card and checking deals, estimate your tax bill and figure how much insurance you need.



• Planning tools include our best values in public and private colleges, budgeting worksheets and calculators to help you figure if you're saving enough for retirement.



• Spending tools can help you sort through your options when it comes to purchasing and financing a home or car. You'll also find our Car Finder tool here, which lets you find and price your next car.

What sort of stock and fund research tools do you have?

On our Stocks Research page, you can look up stock symbols, get price quotes, see company snapshots, search for company news, earnings information, and see the latest SEC filings.

Once you begin researching a stock, click on the "Show Me" drop-down menu to see the market pulse, a quick view of overall market volume, advancers and decliners; today's overall performance; best and worst performers; best and worst performing industries; and a stock-to-peers comparison.

If you're looking for the right stock to add to your portfolio, give Stock Finder a spin. You can use this free stock screener to search and sort the Russell 3000 stocks. You can choose from a variety of pre-set screens -- such "High Yielders," "Small and Super-Cheap" or "Quality at a Reasonable Price" -- or create your own custom filter using 27 selection criteria.

For funds, visit our Funds Research page. Like the stock research page, you can look up fund symbols, see fund snapshots or more in-depth full reports, as well review multi-year performance charts or create your own custom charts.

And fund investors, we've built a screening tool for you too. Fund Finder let's you search more than 15,000 funds and share classes tracked by Standard & Poor's. Choose investment styles, returns, volatility, manager tenure, expense ratio, minimum initial investments and more to zero in on the right funds for your portfolio.

Do you have a portfolio tracker?

Yes, you can use our Portfolio Tracker to create an unlimited number of portfolios with up to 100 securities in each. All you have to do is register. Learn more.

I'm looking for a sample fund portfolio.

Kiplinger's Fund Portfolios include three sample portfolios -- for long-, medium- and short-term investment goals. We not only list the funds we like, and in what proportions, but we'll also show you how much it would cost to replicate, and similar funds to consider.

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