Money Magazine

In the market for a sugar daddy -- or mommy? If one's to believe Money magazine, you might want to head to Towson. The home of a really big mall and every big-box store you can think of is also, the magazine says , one of the best places to be rich and single in the country. In fact, it's No. 8. "Want to meet someone of means in Towson?" Money writes. "Then hit the bricks. Every week through the summer, residents head to Allegheny Avenue for Feet on the Street, a Friday night block party with food, fun and music.

In the market for a sugar daddy -- or mommy? If one's to believe Money magazine, you might want to head to Towson. The home of a really big mall and every big-box store you can think of is also, the magazine says , one of the best places to be rich and single in the country. In fact, it's No. 8. "Want to meet someone of means in Towson?" Money writes. "Then hit the bricks. Every week through the summer, residents head to Allegheny Avenue for Feet on the Street, a Friday night block party with food, fun and music.

Who is this man Money magazine is talking about, the man with the six-digit salary, and the yacht, and the spacious mansion, and the sky box at the stadium -- the man the magazine is calling "the most pampered prince of perks"?Could it possibly be Maryland's own William Donald Schaefer? Could it be the 71-year-old governor who prefers his humble West Baltimore rowhouse to the museum-like Georgian mansion must live in in Annapolis, and whose favorite vacation spot for years was a house trailer in Ocean City?

Money magazine recently ranked the combined Columbia/Ellicott City area No. 2 on its "Best Places to Live in America" list. A less secure burg might not have gone all out to celebrate coming in behind someplace with "prairie" in its name. (Eden Prairie, Minn., was No. 1 in the best small city category.) But Howard County celebrated its secondary status in a big way at Centennial Park Wednesday night. With the song "It Takes Two" playing in the background, a collection of local No. 2s took the stage.

NEW YORK - The July issue of Money magazine offers a ranking of the "best" places to live in the United States, based on statistics and survey results in nine categories: the economy, health care, crime, affordable housing, education, weather, transportation, leisure activities and the arts. The results are sometimes quirky.In "The Best Places to Live Today," by Carla Fried with Jeanhee Kim and Amanda Walmac, Money ranks 300 towns, cities and areas, big and small.The winner is Nashua, N.H., where a four-bedroom house costs $125,000 (and the property tax is $3,700)

The 87,000 residents of Elgin, Ill., are about to get a 10-month, $2 million course in personal finance, compliments of Money magazine, with some help from Fidelity Investments, the Nasdaq stock market and Microsoft.The project -- whose goal is to increase the "financial I. Q." of Elgin residents -- is part of the magazine's run-up to its 25th anniversary issue in October. The events will begin Jan. 29 with an introductory session for the entire town that will feature former President George Bush.

Shareholders in a dozen area companies saw total returns averaging nearly 32 percent in 1995, but Baltimore still dropped four places in Money magazine's ranking of stock performances in 24 cities.The reason, of course, is that stock prices surged in 1995, the year of the bull market that wouldn't stop. In fact, shares of companies headquartered in 23 of the 24 cities posted average gains of more than 20 percent.Baltimore dropped from 10th to 14th on the Money list."I wouldn't read any doom and gloom into dropping a few notches," said Alex Hart, an analyst for Ferris, Baker Watts.

End-of-year bonuses are often awarded in January, and while it may be tempting to spend the money on a new big-screen TV in time for the Super Bowl, there are better uses for the extra cash. Here's how to spend your bonus in a way that is best for your future: Give yourself a reward. Jim Hiles, a certified financial planner with CBIZ Wealth Management, says you should reward yourself with a special gift or a short vacation - just make sure it's small and reasonable. Save what you can. Put a portion of the bonus into a tax-advantaged retirement account or personal savings account.

WANT TO own stocks held by the greatest number of investment clubs? Ranked by the number of clubs holding the following favorites, here, from Money magazine, are the top 10:Intel Corp., Pepsico Inc., Merck and Co. Inc., Lucent Technologies Inc., Home Depot Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., AFLAC Corp., Diebold Inc., Motorola Inc. and Clayton Homes Inc.In response to several requests, here is a definition of a "growth stock" from Better Investing magazine: "A growth stock is a stock in a company that has a five-year record of above-average earnings growth relative to other companies and the overall economy.

Enalee E. Bounds, a longtime resident and merchant in Ellicott City, knew she had stumbled on a good thing when she moved to the old mill town more than 40 years ago. "I knew it was a great place all along - it just so happens that now the rest of the country knows," Bounds said as she sat in her antiques shop on Main Street, happy to hear that the Ellicott City-Columbia area has been ranked No. 4 on Money magazine's list of "Best Places to Live in...

Money Magazine has chosen the combined Columbia/Ellicott City area as the second-best small city to live in America for 2010. The magazine's annual ranking had the same area as No. 8 two years ago. Calling the region an "economic powerhouse," the magazine stressed the thousands of federal and related jobs coming to nearby Fort Meade and the National Security Agency in Anne Arundel County as one major reason for the compliment. The magazine mentions the county's "excellent schools," relatively low foreclosure and unemployment rates (5.2 percent)

Blessed with a great location, an educated populace and relative prosperity, the combined Columbia and Ellicott City area is the nation's second-best small city to live in, according to Money magazine. The news was a boost for recession-weary residents Monday, from an ebullient Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and a happy Trent Kittleman, his Republican rival in this year's election, to folks who make their homes in the two communities. The magazine pointed out the communities' "excellent schools," relatively low unemployment and foreclosure rates, and the thousands of new federal jobs headed to nearby Fort Meade and the National Security Agency.

Community group to meet tomorrow The Carroll County Community Association will meet at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Westminster library branch meeting room, 50 E. Main St. The speaker will be Richard Klein, president of the Community & Environmental Defense Services. He will discuss how to win battles involving proposed highways, landfills, shopping centers, airport expansion, dam building or housing projects. He also will explain how to preserve all or part of a property before development construction begins, and will compare Carroll's growth management plans with other jurisdictions.

Crofton Town Hall is the kind of place where visitors knock before entering -- it's a little white-shingled house on a residential street, and the receptionist hollers a greeting from the top of the stairs. It's just around the corner from the school and playground where the annual Easter egg hunt is held. Not far is the Crofton Country Club, where hundreds flock at Christmastime to welcome Santa riding on a fire truck. "If you're in the family business, you can really settle down and enjoy it here," said Stephen Donnelly, president of the Walden Community Association.

End-of-year bonuses are often awarded in January, and while it may be tempting to spend the money on a new big-screen TV in time for the Super Bowl, there are better uses for the extra cash. Here's how to spend your bonus in a way that is best for your future: Give yourself a reward. Jim Hiles, a certified financial planner with CBIZ Wealth Management, says you should reward yourself with a special gift or a short vacation - just make sure it's small and reasonable. Save what you can. Put a portion of the bonus into a tax-advantaged retirement account or personal savings account.

Enalee E. Bounds, a longtime resident and merchant in Ellicott City, knew she had stumbled on a good thing when she moved to the old mill town more than 40 years ago. "I knew it was a great place all along - it just so happens that now the rest of the country knows," Bounds said as she sat in her antiques shop on Main Street, happy to hear that the Ellicott City-Columbia area has been ranked No. 4 on Money magazine's list of "Best Places to Live in...

Although many people cheer about the fortunes they've made in Wall Street, few investors talk about what they've lost. To prevent losses, Personal Finance lists" 'Must Sell' Hamstrung High Flyers," adding, "Don't waste time or money waiting for these to come back: Cisco Systems Inc., Oracle Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc., Corning Inc., Qualcomm Inc. and Analog Devices Inc." Want to buy? Money magazine, May, lists as "Cheap Stocks, Prices Insanely Low!": Wendy's International Inc., Dollar Thrifty Automotive, Oneida Ltd., Hollinger International Inc., Bell & Howell Co. and Fleetwood Enterprises Inc. The article says, "These companies have low price-to-earnings and price-to-book value ratios."

Punch up: http://money.cnn.com/pf/101/ Why it clicks: Money can be a complicated subject, but it needn't be overwhelming if you start by learning the basics. For a quick primer - or a refresher - turn to "Money 101," a 23-step program for mastering the basics of managing your finances. The download: Created by the writers and editors of Money magazine, this quick course touches on saving, budgeting, banking, investing, borrowing and planning for retirement, just to name a few topics. The information is delivered in easy-to-understand language that helps demystify complex topics.

Punch up: http://money.cnn.com/pf/101/ Why it clicks: Money can be a complicated subject, but it needn't be overwhelming if you start by learning the basics. For a quick primer - or a refresher - turn to "Money 101," a 23-step program for mastering the basics of managing your finances. The download: Created by the writers and editors of Money magazine, this quick course touches on saving, budgeting, banking, investing, borrowing and planning for retirement, just to name a few topics. The information is delivered in easy-to-understand language that helps demystify complex topics.

Have you inherited money recently or received an insurance settlement or other windfall? "Do nothing aggressive for a while," Financial Planning Perspectives advises. "If the inheritance is in cash, put it into low-risk money market funds or CDs." In a survey, the newsletter noted, it was "found that 40 percent of baby boomers who have received at least a $50,000 inheritance made a financial decision in less than a week. "Whatever the form of monies received, take time to focus on what you want to do with the money: invest it for retirement, buy a new home, make charitable donations or pay off certain debts.