Place paper liners into 2 (12-cup) muffin tins and set aside. If you prefer, set 12 ovenproof coffee mugs on a half sheet pan and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Place the egg yolks and 5 ounces of the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high for 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes pale yellow and 'ribbons' when lifted. Add the water, vegetable oil and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients and whisk just to combine. Transfer the batter to a mixing bowl while you whisk the egg whites.

Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a clean bowl and whisk on high using the whisk attachment, until it becomes foamy. Decrease the speed to low and gradually add the remaining ounce of sugar. Increase speed to high and continue whisking until stiff peaks form, approximately 2 minutes.

Transfer 1/3 of the egg whites to the batter and whisk until well combined. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently. Transfer batter into prepared muffin tins or coffee mugs, evenly dividing the batter between the cups. Place both muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven or, if using mugs, place all of them on a half sheet pan and set on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or the cupcakes reach an internal temperature of 205 to 210 degrees F. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting.
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Note: .25 oz is approximately 1 and 1/4 cups flour 6 oz is approximately 2/3 cups sugar

I am a bit nervous.

City Paper Philadelphia even gave her a nod in their 2005 annual people's choice awards saying "To Our Eyes, nobody is a more inspiring, more talented fighter than singer/songwriter phenom Melody Gardot. She turned the pain of a life-changing car accident into surprisingly mature and utterly enthralling music".

Her ability to overcome her physical limitations, and her ability to write and perform despite her pain, make her an inspiration. However, her music, even without the associated back-story, is impressive all on its own: "Her EP “Some Lessons — The Bedroom Sessions�? is in part a chronicle of her struggle to maintain her identity against the backdrop of disability. She has not exploited these circumstances, nor hidden them. It is all rather matter-of-fact. Yet even without the drama of her recovery, she would still have had plenty of interest from media and audiences, for she is truly a dynamic and sincere talent." - Montgomery Co. News

If you knew that love can break your heart
When you're down so low you cannot fall
Would you change?
Would you change?

How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?
Makes you change?

If you knew that you would be alone,
Knowing right, being wrong,
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you knew that you would find a truth
That brings up pain that can't be soothed
Would you change?
Would you change?

How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?
Makes you change?

Are you so upright you can't be bent?
If it comes to blows are you so sure you won't be crawling?
If not for the good, why risk falling?
Why risk falling?

If everything you think you know,
Makes your life unbearable,
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you'd broken every rule and vow,
And hard times come to bring you down,
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you knew that you would die today,
If you saw the face of God and love,
Would you change?
Would you change?
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you saw the face of God and love
If you saw the face of God and love
Would you change?
Would you change?

Mercy - Duffy

Put the rest into low-cost bond funds and perhaps a REIT to add diversity and boost your yield. Because of their low expenses, I like the intermediate-term Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) (4.6%), Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Bond (8.1%) and Vanguard REIT Index (4.9%).

Allocate your money according to the suggestions below for a yield of 4.9% (you'll want to dial back on the stocks as the years go by:

30% Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF
30% iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend Index ETF
20% Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Bond Fund
10% Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF
10% Vanguard REIT Index Fund --Michael Sivy

2. How to "ladder" CDs for safety and income

3. How to know when a stock is really a bargain
When the market plunges 5% in one day, lots of stocks might look like they're on sale. But are they? Here's how to ID the true values. (Get the data below at morningstar.com.)

Step 1 Look at a stock's forward P/E. This is the price investors are willing to pay for every dollar of expected earnings. Compare this ratio with that of the company's peers and industry benchmark. The S&P 500's forward P/E is 13.8. What you want to see: ratio lower than average but not too low (Matthew Sauer, a senior vice president at value-oriented Ariel Investments, is cautious about P/Es below 8).
Step 2 Look at the trailing P/E, which is based on a company's past earnings. It will show whether a stock was cheap before the market's recent free-fall. What you want to see: ratio lower than industry average.
Step 3 Check the price-to-cash-flow ratio. This shows how much cash a company generates per share. It's sometimes a more reliable measure of value than P/E because cash, unlike earnings, cannot be manipulated easily by accountants. Again, compare the ratio with the industry benchmark and peers. What you want to see: ratio lower than average.
Step 4 Look for stability. A company that isn't highly leveraged (laden with debt) has a better chance of riding out the economic downturn. To find out if that's the case, see the company's balance sheet at The SEC's Web site. Divide total assets by total equity. What you want to see: ratio of 2 or lower (10 or lower for financial firms).
Step 5 Read the news. No matter what the numbers say, a stock could be a rotten choice if, say, the company is embroiled in a potentially costly lawsuit. Not every stock that appears cheap is a good deal. What you want to see: no obvious problems. Bottom Line: If a stock passes all these tests, you could be onto a good buy. --Carolyn Bigda
4. How to rebalance your portfolio
5. How to raise your credit score
35% Your payment history Pay your bills on time. Automating payments online can help.
30% How much you owe Keep balances on credit cards and other revolving accounts below 50% of your credit limit (lower is better).
15% Length of your credit history Rather than let old cards go dormant, charge a latte a month (then pay it off). No activity lowers your score.
10% Your new credit Don't open unnecessary new accounts. And if you're rate shopping for a mortgage or an auto loan, do it within two weeks; multiple requests could ding your score.
10% Your mix of loans You can't do much to change this (except get a credit card if you don't have one).
Bonus Request a free copy from each of the three major credit-reporting agencies at annualcreditreport.com. Then tell them about any mistakes you find that are not in your favor. --George Mannes
6. How to buy treasurys without paying a commission
When you're buying supersafe T-bills, notes and bonds, why fork over fees that will eat away at already slim returns? Go to treasurydirect.gov and follow the directions for opening an account. You'll need to let the Treasury link to your bank account, so keep your bank info handy.

Once you're authenticated (usually a few minutes later), you'll be able to bid in auctions for Treasury bills, notes, bonds and TIPS (Treasury Inflation- Protected Securities). Sound intimidating? It's not.

"The big players end up setting the price," explains Stephen Meyerhardt of the Bureau of the Public Debt, an agency within the U.S. Treasury. All you do is submit what's known as a noncompetitive bid, and you'll get the same price that banks and brokers do.

Let's say you want to buy $10,000 worth of a 26-week T-bill. You'll see at the Web site that these bills are auctioned every Monday (except holidays).

Before the auction, place a bid online. After the auction, your bid will be accepted, and the Treasury will draw the money from your bank account. (It will draw less than $10,000; the exact amount depends on what the auction price is.)

And when the bill matures 182 days later? The Treasury returns the full face value of $10,000 (which includes the interest you earned) to your account automatically. --E.F.K.
7. How to get a great deal on a mortgage
8. How to maximize your take if you get laid off
9. How to estimate your true return
Sure, it's easy enough to click on our portfolio tracker and figure out the annual return of the various funds you own. But did your entire portfolio beat the market? To find out, complete this easy worksheet, suggests Colorado Springs financial planner Allan Roth.

A. The dollar value of your portfolio at the beginning of the period: __________

B. The portfolio value at the end of the period: _________

C. The net amount you added to or withdrew from your portfolio over the period (if it's a net withdrawal, the number will be negative): __________

D. Your portfolio's gain or loss (B minus C minus A): __________

E. Average amount in your portfolio during the period (A plus half of C): __________

F. Your estimated percent return (D divided by E times 100): __________

This worksheet isn't perfect. It assumes that all investments or withdrawals you made over the period in question happened in the middle of the period. But unless you made a huge withdrawal or investment at the very beginning or end, the results come pretty close. --Elizabeth Fenner