Sep. 15--Counting calories

Consumer Reports (October) offers lots of tips to save money by saving energy, including the usual ones to add insulation, eliminate leaks (especially in the attic), get a programmable thermostat, fix leaky faucets, use low-flow showerheads and lower the water-heater temperature. But pellet stoves and solar water heaters get less than ringing endorsements. Pellet stoves, essentially big space heaters, require lugging around 40-pound bags of pellets and emptying an ash pan. And they aren't cheaper than heating with gas in many areas. In many regions, solar water heaters could take decades to recoup initial costs.

Hunting dividends

Kiplinger's Personal Finance (October) offers encouragement (save more!) but no big revelations to people trying to rebuild college and retirement funds. But if you can come up with some extra cash to invest, the magazine gives capsule ratings of all 30 Dow stocks and says dividend seekers should try some overseas stocks. The magazine mentions a couple of familiar names: French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis and Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch food and consumer staples giant. Lesser-known Allianz of Germany and Telefonica of Spain also rate a look, the magazine says.

| Greg Hack, ghack@kcstar.com

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