Solid stocks for a shaky market, critical retirement missteps & Google masseuse multimillionaire

Solid Stocks for a Shaky Market
Worried about the credit crunch, slower growth, and falling profits? Consider some companies that could fare well even in the worst of times. These include Diaego, GE, Waste Management, Stericycle, Iron Mountain, VCA Antech, Coca-Cola, Royal Caribbean, Smithfield Foods, Power Integrations, O'Reilly Automotive, Stryker, Sempra Energy, McDonald's, Raytheon and Dentsply International.
Investing in 'Fortress' Stocks - BusinessWeek


Google Options Make Masseuse Multimillionaire
Bonnie Brown was fresh from a nasty divorce in 1999, living with her sister and uncertain of her future. On a lark, she answered an ad for an in-house masseuse at Google, then a Silicon Valley start-up with 40 employees. She was offered the part-time job, which started out at $450 a week but included a pile of Google stock options that she figured might never be worth a penny.
Google Options Make Masseuse a Multimillionaire - New York Times


6 Critical Retirement Missteps
When it comes to making crucial decisions about retirement payouts, you don't get do-overs. Avoiding mistakes can save you thousands of dollars in taxes. Here are six missteps to avoid.
Six Critical Retirement Missteps - Kiplinger.com


America's Best Leaders
U.S. News highlights 18 leaders in business, education, politics and more who motivate people to work together to accomplish great things. See what makes the leaders shine and what other can learn from Michael J. Fox, Andrea Jung, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kenneth Chenault, Yo-Yo Ma, Nancy Pelosi, Pat Summitt and more.
Best Leaders (usnews.com)


Gift Cards Become Even More Popular: 2007 Guide
Bankrate's third annual gift card survey reveals that gift cards purchased directly from retailers carry no fees, while cards from the big four credit card issuers and major shopping mall operators come with fees and expiration dates. Compare fees, expiration dates and more of top card companies, retailers and electronic gift card.
2007 Gift Card Study: Consumers love them -Bankrate


Casual Restaurants Resort to Coupons
Here's the surest sign that casual dining is in the dregs: Coupons are flying. For consumers, it might seem like edible gold. Five dollars off here. Two-for-ones there.
Casual restaurants resort to coupons as meal tickets - USATODAY.com


The Gas Saving Idea America Won't Adopt
The benefits of carpooling have been pushed for decades, but most Americans still do not carpool. Hawaiians carpool the most with 16.4% carpooling and residents of Massachuetts do the least with only 7.2% having carpooled.
State-By-State Look at Carpooling


The Cost of Bedbugs
Hotels and rental housing are hit by a resurgence in bedbug infestation-and lawsuits are proving it's not a problem that can be swept under the rug.
The Cost of Bedbugs - BusinessWeek