Rod Meloni's Money Minute airs on Local 4 daily during the 5 p.m. weekday newscast.

Real Estate Is Hot

The economy may have turned cold, but real estate is still hot, hot, hot.

The lively real estate market has many people wondering what their homes are worth.

Whether it's idle curiosity, or you're really looking to sell, it's easy to estimate your home's value.

There are Web sites where you can plug in the information about your property, and get a market value from a realtor.

Additional Information:

www.housevalues.com
Calculate Your Mortgage

Save For Child's Education

It's never too early to start saving for a child's education. In fact, you don't even have to be a parent to open a 529 account for a special child in your life.

Grandparents, aunts, uncles, family friends, anyone can start a 529 with as little as $25, plus there's no income limit for contributors.

You can get started by enrolling online or by sending for a forms packet.

On The Web:

www.misaves.com

Choose A Socially Responsible Mutual Fund

Want to make sure your investments match your values? Choose a socially responsible mutual fund.

Socially responsible funds screen corporations for performance, but also for other variables.

They set standards for things like animal testing, environmental records, labor relations, and community involvement.

They also make it easy to insure that you're not investigating in areas like the tobacco industry, or the defense industry if you don't want to.

On The Web

www.socialfunds.com
www.paxfund.com

Find Out About Your Financial Planner

Who you choose to advise you on your money is a very personal, and very important decision.

Now there's a way you can learn more about a particular financial planning firm before you use its services. The Securities and Exchange Commission set up a new public disclosure Web site.

It contains information including whether a firm has been subject to any disciplinary action.

On The Web:

www.adviserinfo.sec.gov