European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday March 8, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 17. A a o Quot a. A. 1money matters today a tip if you think clipping a and using coupons is Nickel and dime stuff think again. Last fiscal year army commissary customers used 96 million coupons and saved More than $57 million when buying products. Coupon use was up 15 percent Over the previous year said a spokeswoman with the . Army troop support Agency in Europe. The Bottom line use coupons on your next trip to the commissary. The average face value of coupons redeemed at army stores was 60 cents last year and that can add up to savings for every shopper. Conversion rates London up a thursdays closing rates for the . Dollar to other currencies. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other local currencies in dollars Gold was quoted at $366.50 an ounce Silver at $3.93. March 6. March 7 British Pound. 1.8875 1.8870 German Mark 1.5475 1.5455 French franc 5.2610 5.2570. Dutch Guilder. .1.74 -1.7330 belgian franc. 31.805031.81 italian lira. 1,152,90 1.153.45 Swiss franc i ,.1.3445 1.3490 greek drachma166.60. 166 turkish lira 3,384.80 3,383.70 a saudi arabian Riyal ,.3 75043.7503 Spanish peseta .96.08 95.76 portuguese escudo >.134.40 133.92 Canadian Dollar 1.1579 1.1590 austrian Schilling. 10.862 10.815 norwegian Krone 6.0315 6.0090 danish krone.5.933 5.91 these Are unofficial rates As reported by wire service and banking sources and they Are listed to give some idea of daily currency fluctuations. The Only official rate concerns the Sale of German Marks to . Personnel for personal use and this will be 1.50 Friday based on thursdays noontime  York Exchange new York up the 15 most Active stocks in new York Stock Exchange composite trading on wednesday. Stock sales last net chg. Rwjr Nabisco win 8,604,200 10 it up it Oft 3 a Upjohn co 3,942,700 41 it Westinghouse Al Philip Morris 2,938,300 30 4 a up it 2,919,600 67 it Oil it Citicorp. Ford motor co 2 735,700 15 a a pvt 2,582,100 34 4 up it Pepsico inc 2,389,800 32 it on 1 it Amer new press Boeing co adv Micro docs 2,319,300 27 i up it 2,288,500 50 it unch 2,122,200 9% off Tim corp a general motors 2.035,500. 132 it. Of it 2,032,500 40 it unch Johnson amp Johnsn 1,928,100 87 it up 4 it k Mart corp 1,885,200 39 it up 1 genl electric. A 1,779,100 68 Toff it new York up a the 10 most Active stocks in. American Stock Exchange composite trading wednesday. Stock Salat last net chg. Hill Haven corp 2,343,500 2 it pvt Conti air Hodgs 1,000,400 a 4 it up it Western digital 852,200 5 it. Up it. Stevens or pc a 714,800. 5 v up it carnival cruise. 669,100 19 it Echo Bay mines 585,000 7 it. Oil it 3�, Wang labs inc b 508,300 3 it up it Amdahl corp 447,400 15 i unch i fruit of loom 396,300 13 it up it Cal Energy inc 394,600 .11 a off it Rorr a �?~1 a Dow Jones a a a a j .1 -4 new York up Dow Jones closing Range of averages wednesday. 30 industrials 20 transports 15 utilities. 65 stocks High Low 3017.82 2957 67 1179.48 1146 1 6 214 73 210.58 1072.38 a 1048 43 close 2973 27 1151 62 211 64 1.053 77 change up 0 75 off 14.64 Crit 2 21 off 5 53 caution urged for investors seeking financial planners by Graeme Browning the Baltimore Sun Quot if you have not started saving for retirement or you have been saving but you re not sure it is enough for your old age or you Are so Busy working that you done to have the time to think about your finances at All then you May need a personal financial planner. But a and this is an important a but Quot a be careful which planner you choose. Personal financial planning became the rage in the mid-1970s because it put so Many finance related skills to work. Accountants audit financial statements and organize books investment advisers design Stock portfolios. Lawyers write wills and insurance agents Structure life insurance coverage. Financial planners however do it All. A personal financial planner can help you sort out your financial goals plan a retirement savings program design a fund for your child a education decide where and How much to invest and attend to details such As taxes insurance and employee benefits that most of us find too Complex to handle on our own. Unfortunately such a Broad Range of services has also opened up the Field of personal financial planning to abuses some of which came to Light with the change in Federal tax Laws in 1986. The new Laws prohibited Many tax shelters that had been recommended by financial planners. A when those tax shelters blew up people started asking questions a said Mary Malgoire a partner in Malgoire Drucker inc. Of Bethesda md., and former president of the National association of personal financial advisers. Soon thereafter the consumer federation a Washington  consumer watchdog group studied the financial planning Field and identified a number of instances of fraud incompetence and self dealing particularly incidents in which a a planner recommends certainties on picking a planner look for a financial planner with the experience you need. If you want a household budget done to pick someone to handle your finances who knows Only the ins and outs estate planning. Ask for refer laces and Check them Closel a a i pick a planner who can a communicate. He or she May be a financial Whiz but if they can to listen Well enough to know your needs and they can to explain Why a certain investment is Best you wont get along with them. Most importantly make absolutely sure you know at the Start How and How much the planner will be compensated. Some planners Are paid on a  basis in connection with the products they sell. Others charge a fee for their expertise and earn noticing on sales. Sas Susan Harris types of transactions because they earn him a larger commission a a Malgoire said. Many of the abuses stemmed from the manner in which planners were compensated for their work she said. Some planners work on a a fee Only basis charging an average of$100.-an-hour for research and advice. Others sell such financial products As stocks Mutual funds or insurance and earn a commission on what their clients buy. Planners who care about their reputations do not let potential commissions dictate what products they recommend to their clients said Harry t. Mccrory a Baltimore certified Public accountant and financial planner who accepts commissions. A your clients needs come first and your compensation comes second. If you do a Good Job for your client your compensation will be fair a he said. Despite its fall from Grace in the hectic �?T80s, financial planning could undergo a resurgence in the fiscally conservative �?T90s, said Lyle Benson an accountant in Towson my. The aging a baby Boom Quot generation is pushing the change Benson said. A they had All those years where they bought bought bought and now As they near their 40s, they need to conserve a he said. If you want to work with a financial planner you have to do your Homework beforehand experienced planners say. Look for a planner with experience in the Type of help you need Malgoire said if you want a household budget you wont want to pick an estate planning expert. Check All references and credentials with care. Pick a planner who can communicate. Some planners arc skilled in financial matters. They know All the ins and outs of Blind trusts iras and 401 k plans but they can to explain things to the average client and they done to listen Well enough to know a persons individual needs. Most importantly make absolutely sure you know at the Start How and How much the planner will be compensated. If a planner balks at telling you that information Cross him off your list. A. A if you re an unsuspecting consumer you can get much More damaged by somebody who a doing self dealing than you can by just going out and picking out investments yourself a Malgoire said. Telephone companies Are dangling free Money but there s a catch by Leslie Cauley the Baltimore Sun free Money from the Long distance companies j5 done to bet on it. American Telephone amp Telegraph co. And Sci communications corp. Are sending out checks for $10 and $20, respectively to Consumers across the United states. A. To receive the Cash Consumers need Only endorse the Back of the Check and Deposit it in their bunk account. But the a a free Money has a string attached Consumers who Cash the checks Are automatically switched to that Lon distance Carrier. A i think this is really Low Down a said mrs. James Drake of Annapolis md., who received a $20 Check from Sci last week along with the packet of advertising information that accompanies each Check. A. Drake a retired Book editor and at amp to stockholder said that she immediately honed in on advertising language that spelled out terms and conditions for cashing the Sci issued Check. But Drake said she is concerned others May not catch on until after they be been switched. A i would think a lot of people would automatically put it in the Bank right away a she said. A i think its a real  Quot a a a. At amp to a Giveaway program which was first used last year is still operating. Mcle a Giveaway program was in effect for the month of february but people who received Sci checks have until april 15 to Cash them. Spokesmen for Sci and at amp to defended their respective campaigns saying there is nothing deceptive about their a a free Money campaigns. Moreover company spokesmen said that advertising materials included with checks As Well As the checks themselves clearly state that people who endorse and Cash checks will be switched. A a there a absolutely no mistake in the material that accompanies this Check that if you sign this you Are being switched to at amp to said Mark Siegel an at amp to spokesman. Likewise Wayne Gattinella vice president of consumer marketing for Sci said that  advertising materials clearly state that customers who Cash the checks Are consenting to be switched to Sci. A while nobody is accusing the big two a us sprint is the Only one that does not engage in such marketing a of engaging in deceptive advertising some consumer advocates Are concerned that such campaigns do Little if anything to Advance Public awareness about Long distance services. A a it a not deceptive but it certainly is questionable a said Janelle Cousino of the Maryland citizen action coalition Baltimore based consumer advocacy group. A people find Long distance service so complicated anyway that i can to imagine this adds any clarity to the subject