Safeguard Your Retirement in Hard Times

Take these steps to protect your golden years: Cut expenses, consider refinancing, and make yourself indispensable at work

Stocks: 11 Innovation Plays

S&P looks for stocks in BW's Most Innovative Companies list that carry its highest investment rankings. Among them: Apple, GE, and Toyota

Scoring a Private Loan for College

Thanks to the subprime mess, the market is drying up. Here are some tips for finding student loans at banks

Vital Signs: Will Economic Growth Hold Up?

On deck: April ISM nonmanufacturing index, first-quarter productivity, and March reports on pending home sales and international trade

Analyst Actions: Clorox, JDS Uniphase, Elizabeth Arden

S&P Picks and Pans: Exxon Mobil, Home Depot, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, General Motors

Analysts' opinions on stocks in the news Thursday

Stocks Rise on Economic Data

Some positive readings on consumer spending and a better-than-expected read on manufacturing conditions boosted sentiment

Movers: Exxon Mobil, Adobe Systems, Kodak, Comcast

Thursday's stocks in the news