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Highlights of the August 2007 Issue of MONEY

[Full stories also available online at www.CNNMoney.com ]

SPECIAL ISSUE: AMERICA'S BEST PLACES TO LIVE

BEST PLACES TO LIVE, by MONEY Staff, page 84
Some towns have everything a family could want.
Get all the details on MONEY's top ten towns and the full list of "America's Best Places to Live"
PLUS: Full list and stats, videos, iReports and exclusive poll are all available at www.CNNMoney.com/bestplaces.

20 YEARS OF BEST PLACES, by Jennifer Merritt, page 97
MONEY's top places have always had great schools, reasonable housing and a genuine sense of community. For many, the trick today is to maintain those virtues when everyone wants to move in.
When MONEY started ranking places to live 20 years ago, we knew we were onto something. People feel passionately, to put it mildly, about where they live, and our rankings earned us equal measures of praise and vilification. And we've made several changes to our methodology since then. As data collection and processing became easier and better, we've been able to examine communities, not just regions. Why change? Relevancy. A metro area's job growth or cost of living clues you in to the economic prospects of its towns, certainly, but school quality, safety, green space — those are all local issues. Find out who these toppers are, as MONEY reveals their 20 years of best places.

WHERE WE'LL LIVE, by Joel Kotkin, page 104
Sure, big cities have their charms, but for families the suburbs are here to stay.
An increasingly trendy theory holds that the ticket to attracting and retaining the educated and upwardly mobile is a big dose of urban cool. The facts, though, don't bear out the theory. Most of these twenty-somethings don't stick around. As they get older, they tend to leave the hip urban areas of New York City, Los Angeles, Boston and San Francisco, for the suburbs or for less glamorous but more affordable markets such as Phoenix, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston, and their suburbs. And that, for the most part, is where they'll stay. In this report, MONEY uncovers more on why the move to the burbs is here to stay.

MORE IN THIS ISSUE:

ARE YOU ON TRACK FOR RETIREMENT?, by Walter Updegrave, page 107
Every day you get one step closer to a life free from work. Make sure you're on the right path with this three-part guide.
PART ONE: Are you doing the right things? You are if you can say yes to these four questions about your investing and money-management habits. If not, you have some work to do before you can rest easy.

1. Are you maxing out your 401(k)?
2. Are you keeping tabs on your progress?
3. Are you grabbing every tax break you can?
4. Have you created a safety net?

BREAK THE BANK, by Carolyn Bigda, page 120
Online-only banks have finally come of age. It may be time to leave the corner branch behind.
The first virtual banks were generally limited to high-yield savings accounts, but today's "pure play" Web banks such as E-Trade and EverBank offer free ATMs and check writing. There are no branches, but you probably use them less frequently anyway: 41 million households now do some form of banking online, a number that's expected to nearly double by 2011, according to Forrester Research. But without an expensive branch network, Web banks can offer higher yields and charge lower fees. Why sacrifice a fatter balance just so you can wait in line? MONEY provides you with the four reasons why it's time to make a move.

1. The yields are way higher
2. The convenience is finally there
3. The service is comparable, if not better
4. You're in control

THE BEST COLLEGE SAVINGS PLAN JUST GOT BETTER, by Penelope Wang, page 126
The last doubts about 529 plans have been erased. So, college savers, what are you waiting for? Here's our guide to the best of the bunch.
For years, consternation over expiring tax breaks, questionable financial aid treatment and high fees cast a long shadow over 529 plans, the once and future king of college savings accounts. Not anymore. You'd now be a fool to save for college any other way but in a 529 plan. Faced with such a clear choice, parents (and grandparents) have been pouring money into these plans lately — a record $5.2 billion flowed in during the first quarter of this year alone. The real question then is not whether to save for college in a 529 account but which one to pick. Confusing? Well, yes. But it's nothing you can't handle by adhering to MONEY's simple guidelines.

1. Look first at your own state plan
2. Keep your expenses low
3. Pick funds that match your style
4. Perform an annual checkup
5. Plan your exit strategy

TRIPLE CHALLENGE, by Paul Keegan, page 134
With one child and another on the way, plans for a house in the country, plenty of savings and a batch of real estate investments, the Albianis had life under control. Enter triplets.
When life throws you for a loop, like it did for the Albianis who unexpectedly found out they were having triplets, it's easy for your well-thought-out financial plan to go haywire. For some guidance, MONEY turned to Jeffrey Lambert, a financial planner, and Elaine Webb, an enrolled agent, to deliver their advice to you.
PLUS: How to know you own too much real estate.

FIVE WAYS TO STOP FIGHTING OVER MONEY, by George Mannes, page 23
Find financial harmony with your spouse.
Spouses who get in each other's face about money rarely succeed financially. That's why the topic of marital concord came up at a recent National Association of Personal Financial Advisors conference. Charlottesville, Va. planner David John Marotta told peers that he insists certain married clients adhere to five money vows. MONEY has them for you:

1. Keep a spending diary for a month
2. Pick an amount
3. Give each other veto power
4. Set aside at least 15%
5. Promise not to abdicate on money issues

FAREWELL TO DOG-EAT-DOG, by Donna Rosato, page 37
Trading in corporate career for nonprofit work? You gotta be all business about the transition.
There's a steady move to nonprofits these days. Half of adults ages 50 to 70 polled in a 2005 survey by MetLife Foundation and Civic Ventures say they are interested in work to improve their community. Meanwhile, the rapid growth in the nonprofit sector has made those organizations eager to lure businesspeople. Not that it's an easy transition: Saying good-bye to the daily grind also means saying good-bye to high salaries and hello to a world that can be just as frustrating and bureaucratic as the largest conglomerate. Of course, if you have what it takes, it can be the most rewarding work you'll ever do. MONEY's guide will help you gear up for the nonprofit move.
PLUS: Three fast fixes: How to do well while doing some good.

THE SALESMAN FACTOR, by Amanda Gengler, page 57
The right mortgage broker is golden — a pro who can put you in the ideal loan at the best rate. The wrong can hang you out to dry.
Critics warn that the system gives brokers powerful incentives to push consumers into toxic loans and little to fear if their customers can't handle them. Does this mean you should shun mortgage brokers? Not necessarily. A good one can save you time and thousands of dollars over the life of a loan — but it's up to you to understand the loans you're being offered and the fees involved. MONEY asks and answers all the key questions.

CAPTURING A FARE DEAL, by William McGee, page 141
Shopping for travel on the Web has become a long-drawn-out chore. Our step-by-step strategy will get you to the good deals fast.
Do you ever feel as though making airline reservations takes longer than the flight itself? There are so many websites, so many fares, so many new carriers and so many airports. By the time you get up from the computer, your bleary eyes need a vacation of their own. Unfortunately, no website offers everything. So you do have to noodle around a bit to get the best price. Whether you're a fare shopper with limited patience, or compulsive about saving every possible penny, MONEY provides you with the best tricks and pointers to cover all the bases and make the best decisions.

IS ANYONE SMART LEFT IN MUTUAL FUNDS?, by Pat Regnier, page 69
All the hot money managers, it seems, are running hedge funds these days. Does that mean only losers buy mutual funds?
It's not the '90s anymore, and winning fund managers are no longer stars. All the glitz these days is in the secret-handshake world of hedge funds. Meanwhile, for those who want a cheap and easy way to get into the market, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are giving mutual funds a serious run for their money. So are mutual funds only for chumps now? Plenty of smart folks seem to think so. But even if that's true, it doesn't mean you can't do well investing in mutual funds — as long as you pick ones that don't waste your money. And once you've taken a closer look at hedge funds and ETFs, you'll see that they are a long way from replacing mutual funds as the best way for most of us to invest. The hedgies, especially. MONEY uncovers the myth behind the maxed-out mutual fund.

DEPARTMENTS
START: Identify Theft Alert: What happens when you give out the last four digits of your SSN. Secret Ingredient: Your credit score may be to blame for high home and auto insurance premiums. Your Money & Your Life: You won't be there to tell your heirs how to handle your death. A letter of instruction will. PLAN: Savings and Credit: Mortgage rates climb, but so do returns for savers. The Boom Years: Face it, you're not going to live forever. But if you take care of a few key financial tasks now, you can go back to pretending you will. HOME: Neatness Counts: Add value by sprucing up your closets and cabinets. SPEND: Field Test: Noise-isolating earbuds deliver music in peace, no matter what's going on around you. INVEST: The Intelligent Investor: Emerging markets may look like the path to scorching returns. Trust me, you'll get burned. Sivy on Stocks: Undervalued blue-chip growth stocks are showing a little more energy.

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