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Special report: Personal Finance
Lonny and Elizabeth Tucker

There are some absolute rules for financial planning. Just as a Realtor will chant, ''Location, location, location,'' a financial planner is likely to say, ''Diversification, diversification, diversification.'' It's a game plan that has proved wise, as investors who went heavily into tech and aggressive stocks suffered, while value stocks moved to the fore. FULL STORY...

HOME AND FAMILY
Budgeting important first step in saving
Even when Bob Brennan was a young boy, he knew what to do with money. "When my brother and I each got a dollar for something, his buck was gone in 10 minutes," says Brennan of Pittsford. "I saved mine." Saving became a habit. During 30 years in data processing systems development at Eastman Kodak Co., he routinely had part of his salary taken out and put in an investment plan. "You have to put it where you can't get at it," he says. FULL STORY...

Raising children takes not only love, but money
The economics of raising children can be as hair-raising as childbirth, the terrible 2's or dealing with a rebellious teenager. Those who are contemplating parenthood should know that it not only takes love, understanding, patience and more than a little psychology to raise a baby. It takes money. FULL STORY...

Moira and Jim Stewart Research will net a good financial planner
When Jim Stewart started building his personal financial plan, he decided to get some help. Stewart, 33, decided he needed a financial planner. "It was from a time management standpoint as well as it's not my area of expertise," said Stewart, who ultimately chose to work with Gilbert Financial LLC in Brighton. Stewart started down the right road, according to Doug Nogami, manager of media relations for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in Denver. FULL STORY...

Start teaching your kids about money early
Robert Duvall has some statistics that he thinks ably prove the need to better educate youngsters about money and personal finance. According to surveys done by the National Council on Economic Education, 40 percent of 12-year-olds don't know that banks charge interest on loans. FULL STORY...

Investment club prospers, despite 'tough two years'
Investment club photo Laurie Ditzel says the Sherman Group, an investment club of 11 members ages 27 to 59, has a longstanding motto: Buy high and sell low. "So we maintain a sense of humor about it," the Fairport resident and Rochester School District teacher says. The Sherman Group is also maintaining a healthy balance sheet these days. Begun in 1996, the club is showing an overall profit of about 30 percent and a net worth approaching $20,000. Not bad for a club where the monthly contribution is usually $25 per member. FULL STORY...

Higher education expensive, but not prohibitively
The old rule of thumb was that buying a house would probably be your life's biggest single expense. Not true for Ian and Leah Powell of Honeoye Falls. The Powells have a son in sixth grade, a daughter in fourth grade and twin daughters in first grade. If college tuitions continue to escalate at their present clip, their house won't even be a close second to the cost of educating their four children. FULL STORY...

Identity theft costly to victims
On St. Patrick's Day, thieves stole Raj Mangla's wallet from his truck parked outside a fitness center in Henrietta. Since then, they've stolen his identity. FULL STORY...

IN THE WORKPLACE
How to negotiate for better benefits
When deciding whether to take a new job, don't just focus on the salary. Benefits packages, which can be worth thousands of dollars, are also something to consider. FULL STORY...

Don't overload your 401(k) on company stock
The only individual stock that many Americans will ever own is the company stock they receive through their 401(k) plan. Over the course of a working career, it's not unusual for them to accumulate large holdings. But many 401(k) plan participants never give much thought to their company stock holdings, even though their financial future might depend in part on its performance. FULL STORY...