Issue Date: January 27, 2008
Consolidate 401(k)s?
My husband has a couple of 401(k)s that he has not touched for years. He would like to consolidate them and find a good manager who will handle them. Suggestions?
Anna Victoria Reich, Stafford, Va.
Pool your 401(k)s in a rolloverIRA.
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A: A rollover IRA is probably the best way to go. It simplifies his investments into a single portfolio and provides him with more investment choices. (If an IRA is not for him, he may be able to transfer the funds into his employer's retirement plan, if the employer allows it.)
Unless he transfers stocks and mutual funds directly, the rolled-over assets will sit in his IRA as cash, so he should reinvest the funds when the transaction is complete.
The IRA can be set up by many financial institutions, including discount brokerages (Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, E-Trade Financial) and mutual-fund companies (Fidelity, Vanguard, T. Rowe Price). To find a financial adviser in your area, check napfa.org or fpanet.org.
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3 steps toward better kids
Along with those promises to shed a few pounds or to finally quit smoking, consider these parenting resolutions that could benefit your children well beyond 2008.
Make sleep a priority. In addition to all the other benefits that you've heard about getting adequate sleep, several studies show that children who catch more ZZZs earn more A's in school.
Know your kids' friends, especially their online buddies. "Parents make a big deal about teaching their kids not to talk to strangers, but that's just what they're doing for hours at a time online," says Parry Aftab, an Internet safety expert.ÊLimit Internet access, and make sure you know which online neighborhoods your children are exploring.
Praise the effort, not the result. When your children bring home A's, you should tell them how smart they are, right? No, says recent Columbia University research that suggests children who are praised for intelligence produce poorer results later when challenged by more difficult material. Better to say, "Wow, you must have worked hard!" than to say, "You must be really smart," says Carol Dweck, an author of the study.
Parenting expert Ann Pleshette Murphy is a contributing editor.
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A hard look at makeup
You might want to consider more than just the color of a lipstick before you buy it. Cosmetics are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and companies provide product information only voluntarily.
"Consumers must do our own research to find safer products," says Stacy Malkan, co-founder of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Some tips:
Look it up. The Environmental Working Group has a searchable database of 25,000 personal-care products at cosmeticdatabase.com. It explains why some brands are unsafe.
Go fragrance-free. Many synthetic chemicals in fragrances, like phthalates, aren't required to be listed on labels. Some studies have linked phthalates to reproductive problems and asthma or allergies.
Be picky with lipstick. Malkan's group found lead in 61% of lipsticks tested. See a list at SafeCosmetics.org.
Avoid parabens. The FDA says these preservatives are safe in the amounts used in most cosmetics, but some studies say they raise breast-cancer risk.
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Curry? Go for yellow.
If you eat curry, make it yellow.
Accumulating research shows that turmeric -- a yellow-orange spice in yellow curried Indian and Asian food -- might help prevent and disintegrate plaques in the brain. The plaques are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, with its accompanying dementia and memory loss.
Turmeric's active ingredient is curcumin, shown in lab and animal tests to be anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunity-boosting. UCLA researchers just wrapped up a study on whether Alzheimer's patients improve from taking curcumin.
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