Lessons from the Lost Decade in Stocks

Investing tip of the month from Morningstar Investment Research Center, by Christopher Davis, Mutual Fund Analyst

Before the weather turned cooler recently here in Chicago, I was an avid beach-goer. I love to swim and play in Lake Michigan, pollution warnings or not. But how am I able to wade through a body of water whose average depth is 279 feet? (I'm tall but not that tall.) The answer, of course, is that the lake's depth varies widely, from mere inches at its most shallow to more than 900 feet at its deepest.

The stock market isn't much different. Over very long stretches, stocks, on average, have returned around 10% annually. But in any given year--or even over several years--the stock market can diverge markedly from its long-term average. Throughout the prosperous 1990s, for instance, the S&P 500 Index rose 13% per year. No wonder S&P 500 Index funds were widely touted as can't-miss investments.

The past decade hasn't been so kind, however. Through August 2008, the S&P 500's annualized 10-year gain was just 4.7%. It's been a wild ride along the way, too. After soaring in the late 1990s, the index slumped more than 40% in the March 2000 to October 2002 bear market and then rallied steadily before faltering more recently.

You've made money over the past decade, right? Yes, but once you account for inflation, which was about 3% a year over that stretch, and any taxes you might've paid, you've done little better than broken even. And you could've made more money investing in bonds. The Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index, the most widely followed bond market index, returned 5.6% over the past 10 years. (True, the aftertax, after-inflation performance in this case wasn't all that great, either.)

In a sense, it's been a lost decade for stock investors. But hidden in the relatively poor returns are some rich lessons for the future. Below are some of the most important.

Lesson One: The long haul may be longer than you think.
We always espouse the importance of thinking long term if you're a stock market investor. But if "long term" means five or even 10 years to you, it might not be long enough. Stocks may have earned around 10% a year, but that's usually when measured over 20- or 30-year increments. Obviously, if you're younger and saving for your retirement, your time horizon is probably long enough to have most of your portfolio in stocks. (Given longer life expectancies, even the not-quite-as-young should have plenty of stock exposure, too.) But if your financial goals are short- or intermediate-term in nature, it's not a sure thing that you'll be better off in stocks than bonds.

Lesson Two: Diversification is your friend.
There's a saying that even in a bear market, there's always a bull market going on somewhere. Put another way, rarely is every stock going down at once (or at least at the same pace.) As the large-cap-dominated S&P 500 was tanking in the early 2000s, for instance, small-value stocks rallied sharply--and kept going even after larger-cap stocks recovered. Over the past decade, the S&P SmallCap 600/Citi Value Index returned 10.2% (and the typical small-value fund gained 11%). Foreign stocks, precious metals, and other commodities, too, have done similarly well. None of those areas were particularly popular in the late 1990s, but investors who stuck with diversified portfolios then ultimately fared better than those who focused entirely on large-cap names. Smaller stocks have historically notched higher returns than large, but they probably won't be as strong over the next 10 years; something else likely will shine instead. But if your portfolio includes stocks of different market caps, styles, and geographic exposures, you don't have to figure out who the winners will be. You'll already own them.

Lesson Three: Dollar-cost averaging is your other friend.
It's true that the dollar you put in the stock market in 1998 hasn't gone all that far over the past decade. But most people usually don't put all the cash they'll ever have to work at once (or at least they shouldn't!). If you're investing through your employer's 401(k) plan, for example, you're probably putting money in the market every time you get a paycheck. In financial-planning parlance, the practice of making regular investments is known as dollar-cost averaging. Doing so helps protect you from overinvesting in boom markets (since stock prices are up, your regular investment amount will buy you fewer shares) and makes sure that you're buying more in downturns (when stock prices fall, your regular investment buys you more shares). If you've been dollar-cost averaging over the past decade, it's true that the money you invested in 1998 or 1999 may not have generated great returns. But if you were disciplined and kept investing throughout the 2000 to 2002 bear market, you bought in at cheaper prices and likely have enjoyed a much better return on those investments.

Lesson Four: Save more.
U.S. consumers have been saving less and less, instead letting the stock market (or their house) do all their heavy lifting. But clearly you can't always count on stocks or your house do the hard work. If your investments aren't growing, there's only one way that you can fill the gap, and that's to sock more money away yourself. Fortunately, you can make your money work harder by using tax-advantaged vehicles like a 401(k) or Roth IRA. Both allow you to compound your savings tax free. In the case of a 401(k), your employer may match the contributions that you make, at least in part. Be sure to put at least enough to capture the full match. Otherwise, you're leaving free money on the table and missing an opportunity to build your savings with no effort on your part.

Lesson Five: Minimize expenses and taxes.
In the go-go late 1990s, many investors didn't care that much about costs. With the stock market rallying 20% or more every year, high expenses didn't matter as much. Take a fund with a 1% annual expense ratio, for example. If the stock market gains 20%, expenses eat up 5% of the stock market's total gain. But in a world of 4% gains--like the past decade--expenses eat up 25%. While you can't control or predict what sort of returns the stock market will give you, you can control what portion of the stock market's returns will be left over after paying expenses.
As one of life's two unfortunate inevitabilities, taxes are tough to avoid altogether. But they eat into your returns just like expenses, so you want to keep them to a minimum.

Lesson Six: The past isn't always prologue.
After enjoying double-digit gains throughout much of the 1990s, investors came to expect fat returns as their birthright. As the last decade has demonstrated, though, you shouldn't necessarily extrapolate the past into the future. But just as it was a mistake to assume that the good times would keep on going in the 1990s, it's equally foolhardy to expect lackluster stock market returns to continue forever. In fact, the stock market has often gone on to post outsized gains after long periods of drought. The long boom of the 1980s and 1990s, for example, followed another lost decade between 1972 and 1982. The moral of the past 10 years isn't that you should give up on stocks. To the contrary, it's probably a better time to invest in stocks than anytime in years.

Morningstar Investment Research Center is great tool for new and veteran investors. It's chock full of unbiased analyst reports, tools for evaluating your portfolio, and lessons on how to invest. The best part is that it's free to all valid library cardholders! Begin now or learn more.

Where to go when Google doesn't know

Have you ever heard of the "hidden web" or the "deep web?" Chances are most people have never heard of these terms. The hidden or deep web refers to content on the Internet or World Wide Web that is not searched or indexed by search engines such as Google and Yahoo. It is estimated to be 500 times bigger than the surface, or searchable, web. Considering that Google alone covers around 8 billion pages, that's just mind boggling. You may have heard or even believed some of the following Internet myths:

• The Internet holds the sum total of world knowledge.
• Search engines organize results in an easily scanned list.
• Information on the Internet is always up to date.
• If it is on the Internet, it has to be true.
• Information on the Internet is free.

The hidden web is comprised of information stored in thousands of databases, many of which are fee-based and not available to the ordinary consumer. The Library offers access to a large selection of the "hidden web" to all of its library users absolutely free.Through the library's online Research Center, you can search, browse, view, print or even email a vast storehouse of information, all from the comfort of your own home, 24/7. You have access to thousands of magazine, journal and newspaper articles (on virtually any topic), complete works of literature, complete encyclopedias and dictionaries, photos, images, maps, transcripts of TV and radio shows, biographies, historic documents, business information such as company profiles, stock and mutual fund analysis, market research reports and much, much more. Consider these truths about the free web and the library's online resources:

• Free web: Shallow information on many topics
• Library online resources: In-depth research on many subjects
  
  
• Free web: Long, unorganized lists of links
• Library online resources: Well-organized by topics
  
  
• Free web: Often biased, unreliable, or inaccurate
• Library online resources: Authoritative, accurate, checked by experts
  
  
• Free web: Best information is proprietary and often fee-based
• Library online resources: All database information free to patrons
  
  
• Free web: Do-it-yourself searches only
• Library online resources: Professional library assistance
  

For a complete list of the library's "hidden web" resources, visit our Research Center at www.hcpl.org/research. You may also call the Library for information at 826-3712.

New World Book Student now online

Tailored for students in elementary and middle schools, World Book Student includes all the articles from the print versions of the World Book Encyclopedia, plus thousands of additional articles, learning resources, and research tools. Free from the library's online Research Center, World Book Student is a wonderful addition to any student's research library. All you need to get started is a valid library card.

Key features include:

• More than 40,000 encyclopedia and reference articles
• World Book Biography Center, with more than 10,000 biographies
• Thousands of links selected by World Book editors and expert contributors
• Rich multimedia
• Historical features
• Extensive dictionary and atlas
• Correlations to state and provincial curriculum and achievement standards
• Audios, videos, and animations
• Educator tools
• Student activities

Want to know more about World Book Student? Click here to watch a Flash tutorial.

Other versions of World Book include: World Book Online Advanced, World Book Kids, and World Book in Spanish.

This just in ... September's new materials

For those of you who like nice and neat organized lists (like librarians do), we have put together lists of the new materials that were added to the library's collection in the month of September.

Click on the links below to see the lists and request items. (Hint: You can see these lists every month in the "Book Lover's Corner" section of the library's online catalog, or in the library in the New Books section.)

Books
General Fiction
Mysteries, Westerns, and Science Fiction
Nonfiction and Biography
Large Print
Children
Teen

Movies, Audio books, and Music
DVDs
Books on CD
Downloadable eAudiobooks (what's this?)
Music on CD

DVDs, Books on CD, & Music ordered Oct. 01

Below is a list of the DVDs, Books on CD, and Music recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!

DVDs
Movies
The art of war
Knight moves
The mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Needful things
Star Wars: The clone wars
Tall tale
Tough enough
Tropic Thunder

Family
Fly me to the moon
Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of both worlds
The sisterhood of the traveling pants 2

Books on CD
Fiction
Gone tomorrow by Child, Lee
Chestnut Valley Farm by Wick, Lori

Nonfiction
Notes from the universe by Dooley, Mike
Angels 101 by Virtue, Doreen

Music
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Kenny Chesney: Lucky old sun
Nightmare revisited soundtrack
Rascal Flatts: Greatest hits

New books we ordered October 1, 2008

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction, LargeType, and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Fiction
Vampyres of Hollywood by Barbeau, Adrienne
Tsar : a thriller by Bell, Ted
The Charlemagne pursuit by Berry, Steve
Midwife of the Blue Ridge by Blevins, Christine
In a gilded cage by Bowen, Rhys
Supreme courtship by Buckley, Christopher
One Fifth Avenue by Bushnell, Candace
The grin of the dark by Campbell, Ramsey
The various flavors of coffee by Capella, Anthony
Broken pieces by Cassidy, Carla
Midnight's daughter by Chance, Karen
Gone tomorrow by Child, Lee
The sealed letter by Donoghue, Emma
Alive in Necropolis by Dorst, Doug
Ill met in the arena by Duncan, Dave
The North China lover by Duras, Marguerite
A darkness forged in fire by Evans, Chris
Cold in hand by Harvey, John
Intent to harm by Jacobs, Jonnie
The language of bees by King, Laurie
Under the radar by Michaels, Fern
The rustler : a Stone Creek by Miller, Linda Lael
Shameless hoodwives : a Bentley Manor tale by Mink, Meesha
The 8th Confession by Patterson, James
Devil's brood by Penman, Sharon
Tomato Girl by Pupek, Jayne
The silver linings playbook by Quick, Matthew
Forsaken soul by Royal, Priscilla
Chestnut Valley Farm by Wick, Lori
King of sword and sky by Wilson, C. L.
An evil guest by Wolfe, Gene

Nonfiction
Army wives : the unwritten code of military marriage by Biank, Tanya
Promises to keep : on life and politics by Biden, Joseph
Can we have one? : a parent's guide to raising kids with cats and dogs by Buzhardt, Lynn
Hypoglycemia for dummies by Chow, Cheryl
The house at Sugar Beach : in search of a lost African childhood by Cooper, Helene
Modern China : the fall and rise of a great power, 1850 to the present by Fenby, Johnathan
The impenetrable forest : my gorilla years in Uganda by Hanson, Thor
Saving Monticello : the Levy family's epic quest to rescue the house that Jefferson built by Leepson, Marc
Hitler's empire : how the Nazis ruled Europe by Mazower, Mark
Mother warriors : a nation of parents healing autism against all odds by McCarthy, Jenny
Brave companions : portraits in history by McCullough, David
Obama : from promise to power by Mendell, David
Homeschooling : a family's journey by Millman, Gregory
Fat girls and lawn chairs by Peck, Cheryl
The real McCain : why conservatives don't trust him--and why independents shouldn't by Schecter, Cliff
The snowball : Warren Buffett and the business of life by Schroeder, Alice
McCain : the myth of a maverick by Welch, Matt
Prophets and princes : Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the present by Weston, Mark
What I know now : simple lessons learned the hard way by York, Sarah Mountbatten-Windsor, Duchess of,

LargeType
Chestnut Valley Farm by Wick, Lori

Children
The pain and the great one by Blume, Judy
Dogku by Clements, Andrew
Hate that cat by Creech, Sharon
Toy boat by DeSeve, Randall
The black stallion by Farley, Walter
Beetle bop by Fleming, Denise
Badger's fancy meal by Kasza, Keiko
Robert Smalls : the boat thief by Kennedy, Robert Francis
Saint Francis of Assisi : a life of joy by Kennedy, Robert Francis
Deliver us from Normal by Klise, Kate
My dad, John McCain by McCain, Meghan
How to steal a dog by O'Connor, Barbara
The rifle by Paulsen, Gary
Pssst! by Rex, Adam
New socks by Shea, Bob
I'm the biggest thing in the ocean by Sherry, Kevin
Just the two of us by Smith, Will
Where I live by Spinelli, Eileen
The white giraffe by St. John, Lauren
John McCain by Stewart, Gail B.
The mysterious Benedict Society by Stewart, Trenton

President Lincoln comes to town

The Friends of the Henderson County Public Library will hold their annual meeting on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the Presbyterian Church located at the corner of Main and Washington Streets in Henderson, Kentucky.

The featured speaker will be Fritz Klein as Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Klein has brought Lincoln to life on the History Channel, Discovery Channel, C-Span and other venues. He has been seen nationally and internationally on stage, in feature films, documentaries, and for many kinds of professional speaking arrangements.



His natural resemblance to Abraham Lincoln can be quite convincing. Several years ago when visiting Washington D.C. he created something of a stir when he walked into Ford's Theater, the place where Lincoln was shot. Though Klein was dressed in ordinary street clothes, his 6'3" height and Quaker beard caused one woman to scream outright when she saw him casually strolling down the stairs.



History buffs and Lincoln enthusiasts will not want to miss spending an evening with President Lincoln. The public is welcome and admission is free. Refreshments will be served following the program. For more information, please contact the Library at 270-826-3712.

What to read next? Let us help.

We are excited to share NextReads with you, an email newsletter service that keeps you up-to-date on the latest books. Many of you have been loyal subscribers to our BookLetters service, but we have discontinued BookLetters in favor of NextReads.

Whether you enjoy mystery, romance, biography, history, or want tips on gardening, cooking or reading suggestions for your children, these newsletters will keep you posted. Signing up is easy -- just visit the NextReads page to select the newsletters that match your interests and start receiving your newsletters right away.

NextReads has lists for everyone whether you are a fiction or non-fiction reader, old or young. Check out our most current newsletter lists:

• Armchair Travel
• Audiobooks
• Biography and Memoir
• Business and Personal Finance
• Christian Fiction
• Downloadable eAudiobooks
• Fantasy
• Fiction A to Z
• Fiction Bestsellers
• Historical Fiction
• History and Current Events
• Home, Garden and DIY
• Horror
• Kids' Books
• Mind and Body Fitness
• Mystery
• Nature and Science
• Nonfiction Bestsellers
• Pearl's Picks
• Picture Books (children)
• Popular Culture
• Romance
• Science Fiction
• Spirituality and Religion
• Teen Scene
• Thrillers and Suspense
• Tween Reads
• What Henderson Wants to Read
• What Henderson Wants to Watch

For your convenience, you may place holds on any of the titles in NextReads from the emails that you receive. Simply click on the “Check our catalog” link and your browser will be forwarded to the Library’s online catalog.

If you don’t have an email account, you can still take advantage of NextReads. Go to the Library’s website at http://www.hcpl.org/ and click on NextReads to see the contents of all the available newsletters.

DVDs and Books on CD ordered Sept. 17

Below is a list of the DVDs and Books on CD recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!

DVDs
Movies
54
The art of war II: Betrayal
Pilgrim's progress
Road house
Romy and Michele's high school reunion
Savannah smiles
Step brothers
The sweetest thing

Regular
City of vice
The historic pubs of Dublin

Family
Kung Fu Panda

Books on CD
Fiction
Home safe by Berg, Elizabeth
The narrows by Connelly, Michael

New books we ordered September 17, 2008

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction, LargeType, Teen Fiction and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Fiction
Street love : a Triple Crown anthology
A family for Luke by Aarsen, Carolyne
Selfish intentions by Ali, Rahsaan
Into the storm : Destroyermen by Anderson, Taylor
I ain't sayin' she's a gold digger : a novel by Barnes, Erica
Cold hearted by Barton, Beverly
Home safe by Berg, Elizabeth
Mars life by Bova, Ben
The October country by Bradbury, Ray
A cousin's promise by Brunstetter, Wanda
The hole by Burt, Guy
Sweetheart by Cain, Chelsea
The Alpine uproar by Daheim, Mary
Deep in the heart of trouble : a novel by Gist, Deeanne
The diary by Goudge, Eileen
Fluke by Herbert, James
Working girls by Hernandez, Treasure
The story sisters by Hoffman, Alice
Rebel waltz by Hooper, Kay
Aftershock by Jardine, Quintin
Death's door by Jardine, Quintin
The privilege of the sword by Kushner, Ellen
Swordspoint : a melodrama of manners by Kushner, Ellen
Lords of corruption by Mills, Kyle
Faefever by Moning, Karen
Pygmy by Palahniuk, Chuck
The reckoning by Parker, Barbara
A love to last forever by Peterson, Tracie
Diamondhead by Robinson, Patrick
Zoe's tale by Scalzi, John
Forgotten : a novel by Stewart, Mariah
Goodbye again by Stewart, Mariah
Mercy Street : a novel by Stewart, Mariah
Beach Grass Garden by Thayer, Nancy
Jezebel by Thomas, Jacquelin
A fraction of the whole by Toltz, Steve
Die for you by Unger, Lisa
Lil' Sister by Wright, Ana'Gia

Nonfiction
Chicken soup for the horse lover's soul II : inspirational tales of passion, achievement and devotion
How does it feel to be a problem? : being young and Arab in America by Bayoumi, Moustafa
The job search solution : the ultimate system for finding a great job now! by Beshara, Tony
Satisfied customers tell three friends, angry customers tell 3,000 : running a business in today's consumer driven world by Blackshaw, Pete
The rule of Benedict : insights for the ages by Chittister, Joan
Boundaries in marriage by Cloud, Henry
Explorers of the infinite : the secret spiritual lives of extreme athletes--and what they reveal about near-death experiences, psychic communication, and touching the beyond by Coffey, Maria
The perils of peace : America's struggle for survival after Yorktown by Fleming, Thomas
Thin is the new happy by Frankel, Valerie
Measure of the heart : a father's Alzheimer's, a daughter's return by Geist, Mary
Sisters of Misery by Hall, Megan
Bliss to you : Trixie's guide to a happy life by Koontz, Dean
ChefMD's big book of culinary medicine : a food lover's road map to losing weight, preventing disease, and getting really healthy by La Puma, John
Conflict free living by Meyer, Joyce
The truth about cheating : why men stray and what you can do to prevent it by Neuman, M. Gary
Freedom tools : for overcoming life's tough problems by Reese, Andrew
Trick or treatment : the undeniable facts about alternative medicine by Singh, Simon
Through the storm : a real story of fame and family in a tabloid world by Spears, Lynne
The art of influence : persuading others begins with you by Widener, Chris

Teen Fiction
The summoning by Armstrong, Kelley
Black Rabbit summer by Brooks, Kevin
The nature of Jade by Caletti, Deb
Hell Week : a novel by Clement-Moore, Rosemary
Looks by George, Madeleine
Would you by Jocelyn, Marthe

LargeType
Fiction
Home safe by Berg, Elizabeth
One for the money by Evanovich, Janet
A love to last forever by Peterson, Tracie

Children
The Gingerbread Girl by Ernst, Lisa
Anansi and the magic stick by Kimmel, Eric
Anansi's party time by Kimmel, Eric
May I please have a cookie? by Morris, J. E.
Cookie rescue by Ring, Susan
And the dish ran away with the spoon by Stevens, Janet

Are you protected in the current financial crisis?

The past several days have been marked by historic corporate bankruptcy, the worst daily market loss in 7 years, and government intervention that many say is reshaping the foundation of our financial system. Some have even described it as the largest market shift since the Great Depression. But what does this mean for the average investor? And how can investors protect themselves in a changing market?

To help you better maneuver the changing economic landscape, please review the following free report by Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance for Morningstar Investment Research Center.


What the safeguards are—and aren’t—for various account types.


"Is my money safe?"

If you’ve been asking yourself that question over the past few weeks, you’re not alone. The ongoing shakeout in the financial-services industry has affected a large number of big firms, all of which have many clients with many different types of accounts. With the tentacles of the current crisis extending far and wide, it’s only natural to wonder if you need to take action to keep your money safe from further trouble.

Here’s a review of what safeguards investors have if they have financial dealings with any of the firms that are currently in the news.

Checking and savings deposits and CDs
If you own any of these instruments, your first step is to make sure the institution where you hold that account is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. As it turns out, Lehman Brothers LEH and Merrill Lynch’s MER banks are FDIC-insured, meaning that up to $100,000 in the above-mentioned short-term accounts at those firms would be insured against loss, and the FDIC would make you "whole" if your account value dropped below the amount you put in. You can use the tool on this site to see if your institution is FDIC insured.

No matter what, it pays to make sure that you’re not holding more than $100,000 in short-term assets at any one financial institution, because any amount over that threshold would not be insured. That $100,000 figure applies on a per-person, per institution basis; if you and your spouse jointly hold less than $200,000 in checking, savings, or CD assets at an FDIC-insured institution, your assets would be insured. The threshold is $250,000 for short-term assets held in an individual retirement account; for complete details on coverage, check out the FDIC’s Web site. It’s worth noting that FDIC insurance is not available for some other seemingly safe investment types, such as money market funds, short-term bonds and bond funds, and municipal bonds and bond funds. That means that if you’re socking away money and can’t afford to see your principal value decline at all, you’d best hold it in an FDIC-insured account.

Brokerage Accounts
If you hold a brokerage account at a financial firm that’s failing or at risk of doing so, you too have protections. In Lehman Brothers’ case, the firm has indicated that its client assets are all accounted for. The securities in those client portfolios can decline in value, of course, just as with any brokerage account, but Lehman has indicated the assets are otherwise safe.

If, under a worst-case scenario, a brokerage firm fails and there are assets missing from client accounts, those assets are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Again, the SIPC coverage doesn’t mean that your accounts can’t decline in value based on fluctuations in the securities you hold. It does mean, however, that if assets are missing from your account due to the brokerage’s failure, the SIPC will help replace the missing securities in your portfolio. Visit the SIPC’s Web site for more details on the types of accounts that it covers.

Mutual Funds Offered by Affected Firms
In addition to filing for bankruptcy protection, Lehman Brothers has indicated that it is seeking a buyer for its Neuberger Berman asset-management arm, which offers mutual funds, among other products. So what does that mean for investors in Neuberger Berman funds? In the near term, nothing. A press release on Neuberger’s Web site indicates that the firm is still conducting business as usual (as usual as business can be when your parent company has filed for bankruptcy protection and your firm is reportedly on the block, that is). The Neuberger release also notes that Neuberger Berman client assets are segregated from Lehman assets, and therefore are not available to general creditors of Lehman Brothers.

If and when Neuberger Berman is purchased by another firm, investors in those funds will want to consider whether the sale affects their holdings’ "funda-mentals"—for example, are managers and analysts leaving due to the change in ownership, or are expenses going up? Until then, however, investors in Neuberger Berman funds don’t have reason to panic.

Investors in BlackRock mutual funds have even less cause for alarm. True, Merrill Lynch owns nearly half of BlackRock, and Merrill just agreed to be acquired by Bank of America. Nonetheless, BlackRock operates as an independent company, so shareholders in the firm’s funds shouldn’t experience big changes—if any—as a result of the Merrill sale. And in any case, the deal is in its earliest stages.

Stocks in the Affected Firms
If you own stocks of any of the companies that are currently in the news—or if one of your mutual funds does—you’re not entitled to the same protections as the investors in the situations I’ve outlined above. Your best bet is to do your homework—including reading Morningstar Analyst Reports—to determine whether you’re better off selling or hanging on in the hope of a re-bound. We’ve recently updated our reports on Merrill Lynch MER and Bank of America BAC, to name just a few of the firms that have recently been making headlines.

Morningstar Investment Research Center is great tool for new and veteran investors. It's chock full of unbiased analyst reports, tools for evaluating your portfolio, and lessons on how to invest. The best part is that it's free to all valid library cardholders! Begin now or learn more.

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered Sept. 10

Below is a list of the DVDs, Books on CD, and Music recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!

DVDs

Movies
The big chill
Boogie nights
Four of the apocalypse
Hancock
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The Incredible Hulk
Joan of Arc: Child of war, soldier of God
Meet Dave
Mutiny on the Bounty
Oklahoma!
Poetic justice
Something the Lord made
Speed Racer
Then she found me
Wag the dog
Wooly boys

Family
Space Chimps

Books on CD
Fiction
Dark of night by Brockmann, Suzanne
Jingle all the way by Clark, Carol Higgins
Just take my heart by Clark, Mary Higgins
Silent thunder by Johansen, Iris
A lion among men by Maguire, Gregory

Nonfiction
The wrecking crew by Frank, Thomas

Music
Everybody's Vaughan Williams
Robbie Williams: Greatest hits

New books we ordered September 10, 2008

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction, LargeType, Teen Fiction and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Fiction
Seduction of a proper gentleman by Alexander, Victoria
Eternal pleasure by Bangs, Nina
White Christmas pie by Brunstetter, Wanda
The wedding challenge by Camp, Candace
Jingle all the way by Clark, Carol Higgins
Just take my heart by Clark, Mary Higgins
The Alpine Christmas by Daheim, Mary
The Alpine decoy by Daheim, Mary
Alpine fury by Daheim, Mary
The Alpine gamble by Daheim, Mary
The Alpine icon by Daheim, Mary
The Alpine journey by Daheim, Mary
The Alpine kindred by Daheim, Mary
The Alpine legacy by Daheim, Mary
The Alpine obituary by Daheim, Mary
A state of grace by DePree, Traci
Good-bye and amen by Gutcheon, Beth Richardson
Running from strangers by Harrison, C. C.
Stalking Susan by Kramer, Julie
That hideous strength : a modern fairy-tale for grown-ups by Lewis, C. S.
The whiskey rebels : a novel by Liss, David
Star wars : millennium falcon by Luceno, James
Everybody knows this is nowhere by McFetridge, John
The seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard by McGraw, Erin
On stranger tides by Powers, Tim
The stress of her regard by Powers, Tim
An offer from a gentleman by Quinn, Julia
American wife : a novel by Sittenfeld, Curtis
Delicious by Thomas, Sherry
The widows of Eastwick by Updike, John


Nonfiction
Make money teaching online : how to land your first academic job, build credibility, and earn a six-figure salary by Babb, Danielle
The devil we know : dealing with the new Iranian superpower by Baer, Robert
The battle over homework by Cooper, Harris
The life of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Emmerich, Anne Catherine
Jerry Falwell : his life and legacy by Falwell, Macel
Skinny bitch in the kitch : kick-ass recipes for hungry girls who want to stop cooking crap (and start looking hot!) by Freedman, Rory
The fat resistance diet : unlock the secret of the hormone leptin to eliminate cravings, supercharge your metabolism, lose weight, and reprogram your body to stay thin-forever by Galland, Leo
The longest trip home by Grogan, John
Sarah Palin : a new kind of leader by Hilley, Joe
Sarah : how a hockey mom turned Alaska's political establishment upside down by Johnson, Kaylene
Have a new kid by Friday by Leman, Kevin
Black belt patriotism / How To Reawaken America by Norris, Chuck
Atchafalaya houseboat : my years in the Louisiana swamp by Roland, Gwen
Come to think of it : notes on the end of the millennium by Schorr, Daniel
Take back your family : a challenge to America's parents by Simmons, Joseph
Breakthrough : 8 steps to wellness : life-altering secrets from today's cutting-edge doctors by Somers, Suzanne
The creative family by Soule, Amanda Blake
Creating myself : how I learned that beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and packages, including me by Tyler, Mia
The proof of God : the debate that shaped modern belief by Witham, Larry

Teen Fiction
Inexcusable by Lynch, Chris
I am the messenger by Zusak, Markus


Children
Ivy + Bean break the fossil record by Barrows, Annie
Freckle juice by Blume, Judy
Charlie Bone and the shadow by Nimmo, Jenny
Ricky Ricotta's giant robot vs. the voodoo vultures from Venus by Pilkey, Dav