NEW YORK - The mutual fund industry is a quagmire of money-losing tricks and traps. But if you are patient and persistent, you can still find funds that will guard your money and work to obtain the best total return.

Britain seeks a public takeover of Northern Rock to keep the bank viable and protect taxpayers, officials say. The British government waded into the sub-prime quagmire Sunday with the announcement that it would move to nationalize Northern Rock, the nation's fifth-largest mortgage lender.

Discussions bubble about whether the current real estate woes in many parts of the country -- slow sales, rising foreclosures, collapses of mortgage firms -- could push the U.S. business climate into a deep economic quagmire. What do you think the chances are that the national economy falls into a true recession in the coming year? Very high High Low Very low

Discussions bubble about whether the current real estate woes in many parts of the country -- slow sales, rising foreclosures, collapses of mortgage firms -- could push the U.S. business climate into a deep economic quagmire. What do you think the chances are that the national economy falls into a true recession in the coming year? Very high High Low Very low

Discussions bubble about whether the current real estate woes in many parts of the country -- slow sales, rising foreclosures, collapses of mortgage firms -- could push the U.S. business climate into a deep economic quagmire. What do you think the chances are that the national economy falls into a true recession in the coming year? Very high High Low Very low