Money Magazine

I initially subscribed to Money Magazine for my husband since he's an Accountant. One month, the cover caught my eye. It might have been an issue with Romantic Weekends in it or perhaps it was the article on the cover telling me "The Best Places to Live" or "The Best Places to Retire." In any case the glossy pretty cover and names of some of the articles caught my attention and I've been reading it every since. I will tell you a little known secret. For 3 years I traded stocks online and did really well until I failed to see the upcoming bust! Maybe if I had been reading Money then, I would have.

You would be very surprised to find out how eclectic this magazine actually is. When I first got it in the mail I paid no attention to it. I really don't care if my 401K is safe, but you might. However Money is chock full of so much material that there is bound to be something for almost everyone in it. Quite obviously this is not a magazine for your teen unless he or she has a real interest in money and plans to be a banker. In general Money is for a mature audience who may have some money already. If you live in poverty this magazine may not interest you. As they say "You have to have money to make money."

I really liked the 3-page article in the January, 2004 issue on "America's hottest towns." If you are not planning on moving for the next 30 years this article may not interest you but perhaps the amazingly comprehensive 5-page article on "Best Investments" will By the way the hottest town with a population under 100,000 (The article breaks the country into areas and population.) is Sugerland Run, VA and one of the best investments is in the company Anthem. Both articles although different as night and day are equally easy to read. You will be surprised at the lack of technical jargon. I expected technical jargon when I first opened the magazine. That isn't to say I understand every article in the magazine. If I don't, though, it isn't the author's fault. I know little about funds so reading "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" wasn't that appealing to me. It may be to you.

I am always impressed with a magazine when I find letters to the editor actually answered or responded to by the editor. You will find more often than not just that – editor's comments.

Every issue has:

The magazine runs about 125 pages. There are some variations in headline topics but in every issue you'll find:

~"Money & Politics" whose title is probably self explanatory but to give you an example you might read a poll Money magazine did called "The Investor Class Speaks."

~An "Index" of the stocks, funds and investments in the issue with page numbers next to them.

~"Openers" with articles as diverse as one talking about the price of gold being up to the Dr. Atkins portfolio or talking about reality TV.

~In "Columns" you might find an article about the cost of home ownership or about stocks that offer fast growth without great risk.

~In "Invest" you might read about four of the finest minds in investing telling us what to expect in 2004, or an informative article about "exchange-traded funds."

~"Essentials" is the place where you can get away from some of the heavier talk about money. You can read about a National Park, hot new Mazdas, romantic getaways or how to learn to love luxury chocolate (only because they are so expensive – I'm not sure how anyone can not love chocolate, but that's beside the point.)

~You might also find a "Features" section where you'll learn about people to watch or some issues give a lot of coverage to one particular topic such as "The Mutual Fund Guide" in the February issue.

My favorite section is Essentials though I enjoy most of the articles. Lawrence Ulrich always does a good job on his articles about cars whether it is about the Mazda or auto debt.

Jean Chatzky is another write I like. She takes a no- nonsense approach in her articles, whether it's an article about the woman who called the fund industry to task (Noreen Harrington) or a down to earth piece on home ownership and remembers to talk about the cost of ongoing maintenance of that home.

There are plenty of ads in Money Magazine but they aren't overwhelming. Most of them have something to do with money, investments or families. You will find ads illustrating the target audience, which in my opinion, is the 30 and older crowd with money who will buy the highest priced whiskey or perhaps is on his or her way to needing medication for the ulcer he or she is developing.

Jo's Final Thoughts:

There is certainly a place on many people's coffee tables for Money Magazine. If you don't know what a stock is, though, in spite of the section "Essentials" this will not be for you. Truly if you have no money to even think about investing or have never invested this magazine is not for you. Although I said I believe it targets the 30+ crowd I think it would make a great gift for the college graduate with a degree in business or for the MBA graduate.

Please feel free to leave me a question or comment. I am rating this 5 stars because I think it is the best magazine I have seen of its type. It doesn't take a stockbroker to read it, the articles are diverse and interesting and I have learned a lot from reading it.

Please not: as of February 2, 2004 the price of a paid subscription for 13 issues (Money is published monthly but there is the occasional extra issue thus the #13.) is $14.95, which is $5.00 off the regular $19.95 subscription price. You will also get an Executive Pen with your paid subscription. The cover price is $3.99.