Does fat cat’s kid deserve special treatment?

QUESTION: I’m the drama teacher at a small private day school. The school relies heavily on the contributions of parents, and one of our wealthiest donors has a daughter who desperately wants to play Maria in the up-coming production of “West Side Story.”

Playing Energy’s Top
The long bull market for energy looks to be over. But there are still opportunities.

Income for life? Lump sum? A better option
My husband is 45 and has worked for the same company for 27 years. He has been given a separation package that requires him to make complicated retirement decisions, the main one being whether he should take his company pension in monthly payments for life or as a lump sum. What should he do? Help!!! – Val, Tonawanda, New York

Guard against mortgage fraud
Mortgage fraud is one of the fastest growing white collar crimes, according to the FBI, with reports more than quadrupling since 2001.

What Now for Real Estate?
The events of 9/11 fueled America’s greatest real estate boom. Five years later, it may be over.

Beware the mortgage time-bomb
Mortgage rates have been trending down, but that won’t do much to benefit those who signed up for low-teaser-rate adjustable-rate mortgages in the past few years.

The End of Easy Money
It’s been easy to be a fixed-income investor. That, though, could soon change.

Hiring outlook to slow in coming months
Less hiring managers predict they’ll be taking on new employees in the fourth quarter, and more say they’ll be reducing the number of workers on staff, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com.

For the Record
When the Dow finally closes at a new high, I’ll celebrate by selling.

Five insider tips to smarter holiday hopping
Large crowds. Messy stores. Hard-to-find merchandise.