New CEO should have company moving forward
Dear Mr. Berko: I'm thinking of buying 150 Progress Energy and 100 FPL Corporation, two Florida utility stocks. What do you think of them? Also, I bought 1,000 shares of Prestige Brands last July at $11.23 and I'm now down 4 points. I know what happened to the company, but I don't know if I should sell the stock, keep it or buy more shares. So I'd appreciate your opinion on this stock, too.

The National Gold Exchange is a farce
Dear Mr. Berko: I want to buy $6,000 worth of gold and have listened to and read about some of the exchanges that sell gold to the public like The National Gold Exchange that will sell me gold at wholesale. They said gold will go to $2,000 an ounce this year. I want to get the best price and my wife told me to write you because you may know of a selling group that offers the best price, even better than The National Gold Exchange. I would greatly appreciate your recommendation. Because gold will double in the next year and I think this is a good opportunity to make a big score.

In the market for municipal bonds?
D ear Mr. Berko: I'm going into the hospital next month for major surgery and before I do, I'd like to buy some municipal bonds with a $27,000 CD that comes due just prior to my hospitalization.

Exchange traded funds versatile, not volatile
D ear Mr. Berko: I wanted to buy a utility stock, but my broker recommended an exchange traded fund traded on the stock exchange. He claims that they are better than buying 300 or 600 shares of a utility stock.

Post-retirement CDs stiff far too many seniors
Dear Mr. Berko: We've been depending on CDs for the last four years for safety and income. And we have been moving our CD money around at various banks to get the most income we can, especially when one bank offers a little more than another. This is becoming nerve-wracking and tiresome and in the last year or so, with rates now at 1.75 percent, we are hurting badly. We have $385,000 in CDs now that earn less than $8,000 a year, when a year ago, they were earning $17,000 in interest. That loss of $9,000 is hurtful to us. We are 72 and 74 respectively. I get a retirement check of $806 each month, plus $783 in pension income and I work part time at Home Depot. My wife has a part-time job, too, in a chiropractor's office and gets about $400 in Social Security. It's difficult for us because we almost feel that we are living from hand to mouth when it comes time to pay our bills. If you have any ideas on how to increase our income safely, we would appreciate your thoughts.

Retirement plans and no-load funds
Dear Mr. Berko : My wife and I retired last year from different companies. We moved my wife's 403(b) to an IRA, which was a real chore because the people holding that money wanted her to buy an annuity, and made it very difficult to move her retirement money to a simple IRA. Those teachers retirement people don't want to let go. On the other hand, it took my company just 10 days to move my 401(k) to a Schwab IRA. Now between the two accounts, we have $407,000 and need you to tell us how this money should be invested. We really liked your comments on No-load Funds and Exchange Traded Funds when we heard you speak in Boca Raton last March. Please tell us how you would manage a portfolio of No-load and Exchange Traded Funds for us.

Stock in e-Book company worth a read
Dear Mr. Berko: I've got a bee in my bonnet about the e-Book industry that it will push hardcover and soft-cover books off the shelves so the big booksellers like Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and Borders will have to close their doors. Amazon and Sony have great e-Books right now and when Apple comes out with their new e-Book, I think it will spell the beginning of the decline of the book publishing industry.

Sara Lee is not a sweet deal
Dear Mr. Berko: I have $10,000 to invest and would like to buy a high-yielding preferred with an 11 percent or better yield that could increase in value as the company improves its earnings. I bought $10 m face value of the 7.75 percent Lucent Convertible Bonds you recommend at $660 per bond with an 11.7 percent yield and I'd like to buy another high-yield security. What do you recommend? Also, I own 600 shares of Sara Lee, which I bought in 1999 at $27. It's done nothing but go down. Please tell me what you think.

Look for experienced broker
Dear Mr. Berko: I'm 66 years old, retired at 59 with $682,000 in a roll-over IRA, which is now worth $417,000, from which my wife and I take out $1,000 per month to supplement our two pensions. But in the last year, we stopped taking money from this account because it has done so badly.

Title insurance: Bad biz, good investment
Dear Mr. Berko : I recently bought a great home here at a great price. The previous owner refinanced his home last February and had to buy a new title policy for which he paid $2,030. Now because of his personal family problem, the previous owner had to sell the home for which I had to get a new mortgage and pay another title company $2,642 for a brand-new title policy even though there was a new policy written six months ago. This is a rip-off; it's unfair and socks it to the new buyer. I was incensed over this, but because I got such a good price, I didn't make noise. Now I'm mad as a hornet again. I know I can't do anything about it, but since this criminal business is approved by the law, I'd like to invest $5,000 or so in a title company. I figure when the real estate market recovers that these crooked title companies will really take off and go through the roof. So which title company would you recommend?

Thoughts on bank and bonds
Dear Mr. Berko : I have $31,000 to put in a CD, but the best yield I can find is a one-year CD offered by my bank (Fifth Third), which is a very low 1.75 percent. If Fifth Third goes under, will my CDs still be safe? I think I can afford a little risk and hope you could recommend something with a better yield of maybe 3.5 percent to 4.5 percent. I need this money liquid. I also own 280 shares of Fifth Third Bank that I bought in July 2007 at $41. Would you recommend that I sell the stock? And finally, because I'm certain our income taxes will be raised to pay for the deficit, what do you think about municipal bonds? Which state or country bonds would you recommend?

Comcast run like a kingdom
D ear Mr. Berko: I think I would like to buy 50 shares of Comcast, which trades for $14.77 a share. Please tell me what you think of this company and if you think it's a good investment. And please tell me why you switched your e-mail from Comcast to Yahoo and Gmail.