Your Money

By Daniel Eisenberg

FUNDS SHIFT TO NEUTRAL

With the market hitting choppy water, some mutual funds are trying a balancing act. Firms like Barr Rosenberg and Euclid Advisers have launched market-neutral funds, which bet equal amounts of a portfolio on stocks to rise and fall. The funds are touted as a low-risk investment, but the high fees and taxes--and relatively low returns--extract a high price for security.

FAMILY SECRETS AT WORK

Corporate America is starting to help employees balance work and family, but don't expect the boss to tell you. A new study by the Families and Work Institute found that although two-thirds of employers permit flex-time job arrangements, nearly 40% don't bother to inform workers of the work/family assistance programs available. Then again, only 10% provide on-site child care, so can you blame them for keeping their mouth shut?

INVESTING IS CHILD'S PLAY

Who needs CNBC when there are Saturday-morning cartoons? Starting this week, Junior can prep for a life on Wall Street with Disney's Money Rock ($14.95), a new Schoolhouse Rock video that teaches the basics of playing the market and paying the taxman. Wacky characters sing toe-tapping financial tips, which will air Saturdays on ABC. Kids can learn their 401(k)s and IRAs on the Web at young investor. com and kidsbank.com

--By Daniel Eisenberg