Business Columns
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Ultrathin MacBook omits a few featuresJan 26, 2008 10:00 pm - Apple finally has entered the subnotebook market, introducing a lightweight laptop meant to please road warriors. But, typical of Apple, the company took a different app...
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Winter heating bills have people surfing to Nicor Web siteJan 26, 2008 10:00 pm - When the outside temperature drops, you're more likely to think about ways to say money on your energy costs. At least, that's what Naperville-based Nicor Inc., parent o...
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Barrington's 'Material Girl' to retireJan 24, 2008 10:00 pm - In an effort to inspire her customers, Dyllis Braithwaite made a new outfit for herself nearly every week. From fur coats to sundresses, Braithwaite would wear the cloth...
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Working on the railroadJan 24, 2008 10:00 pm - When Fred Krause moved into his home in St. Charles, he had his eye on a corner in the basement. It was big enough to house his trains and a layout to run them on. His l...
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Stepping out on her own with trendy, comfortable shoesJan 24, 2008 10:00 pm - Is it possible to own a pair of shoes that are trendy and really comfortable at the same time? Absolutely, according to a Naperville businesswoman. Karen Hatcher, who fo...
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Baby boom generation provides a huge marketing opportunityJan 23, 2008 10:00 pm - Kathleen Casey-Kirschling will receive her first Social Security payment next month. That's mostly a symbolic event; when she was born on Jan. 1, 1946, Casey-Kirschling ...
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It's total portfolio return that countsJan 23, 2008 10:00 pm - Q. I need a pep talk. As of early January, my Vanguard 500 Index fund is 4.65 percent lower that it was at the close of 1999. So, for the last eight years of patient inv...
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Financial education should be a priorityJan 22, 2008 10:00 pm - WASHINGTON -- Now that there's no denying that the U.S. economy is badly shaken, the presidential candidates are highlighting their ideas on how to fix things. If you ar...
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The 2007 couch potato report cardJan 21, 2008 10:00 pm - It was a Maalox kind of year. But that's what it takes to build vocabulary. Today, everyone in America has a visceral understanding of the word "volatility." But when y...
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The Big Dog in sump pumpsJan 21, 2008 10:00 pm - Most homeowners don't think much about their sump pump or a battery backup system until it's too late and water seeps into the basement. These systems are the focus of a...