Consumer Reports' January Issue: Gauging Fine Print; Handling Emergencies; Investing in Bonds; Choosing Frozen Pizzas.

Business Editors

YONKERS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2001

These articles are free at www.ConsumerReports.org:

- Fine print: Buyer beware

- Child-resistant packaging

- Risk assessment

- "14 signs that you might be buying a rebuilt wreck"

- "On-the-road emergencies"

- "Hunting down hard-to-find books"

- Electricity meter

- Digital audio

- Tax-law changes help pay for college

- Credit card Q & A

- "Test, Inform, Protect"

- "Memo to Members"

ALL THE TINY TYPE YOU CAN'T SEE CAN BITE BACK

Fine print appears in print media, radio, TV, and now cyberspace--and its use is exploding. And the slow economy may only make matters worse. Businesses say federal laws and their consumer disclosure requirements force them into fine print. But whether the tiny type is simply annoying or downright deceptive, it's unnecessary, federal officials say. Yet neither the Federal Trade Commission nor other federal, state, or local consumer agencies have the wherewithal to monitor, let alone address, any but the most egregious cases. It's up to consumers to spot trouble--and yell. CR experts compiled useful tips to spot and handle potential problems.

NEW DEPARTMENT HELPS YOU HANDLE EMERGENCIES

In an effort to bring consumers the information they need to handle unforeseen events and be prepared for emergencies, the editors of CR created a new permanent section: Home Front. The section gives a framework of coping skills as consumers face new realities of living in the United States.

FROZEN PIZZA ON THE RISE

Manufacturers have introduced products with innovations that make for some decent pizzas comparable in quality to the ones offered by national chains. That's what the staff at CR's test kitchens concluded after testing more than 30 frozen pizzas, seven pies from four leading national pizza chains, plus a Boboli pizza crust and sauce.

JUMPING ON THE BOND-WAGON

Until recently, no single word caused investors' eyes to glaze over more quickly than "bonds". Unlike stocks, which gushed a 16.7 percent average annual return from 1994 to 2000, bonds managed to crank out only 6.7 percent a year. But deep into 2001 investors finally caught on; while Vanguard's Total Stock market Index Fund, which tracks the entire market, plunged 20.7 percent, its Total Bond market Index Fund earned a respectable 8.5 percent. Suddenly bonds looked a whole lot more interesting. CR's finance experts bring you the information you need to decide if this market is for you.

Also in this issue:

- As a result of their efforts to salvage more cash from a

crash, insurers have given rise to a little-known industry

that sells poorly repaired cars to unsuspecting consumers.

- Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements appear to ease

arthritis symptoms and possibly fight the disease itself.

- Bookmarks- You'll pay top dollar at the stores readers

preferred, but if you're willing to skip the latte, you can

save 75% or more.