Your Money

By Daniel Eisenberg

Surf Around for Best Fares

If you're looking for that cheap ticket to get home for the holidays, you might fare better consulting the Net rather than your travel agent. This year more of the major airlines, including Continental and United, are offering special discounted deals over the Web. Some, like American, will even alert you via e-mail to last-minute steals--so log on and take off.

Club Dues Can Be High

You might make friends in an investment club, and you might learn something about stock picking, but you'll probably pay a price in lower returns on your investment. Fully 60% of investment clubs regularly underperform the stock market, according to a new study from UC Davis. Your returns will be higher in an actively managed mutual fund, and higher still in a broad index fund.

Charity Isn't Always Sweet

When charities start hitting you up for money over the holidays, don't be too quick to write a check. That may sound like advice from Scrooge, but it comes from the American Association of Retired Persons. Last week its report on charity fraud showed that fewer than half of donors were confident that the organizations they supported were legitimate. Phony charities take in $1 billion a year, so before you give, check a group's credentials with your state attorney general.

--By Daniel Eisenberg