Career Guide 1991: Jobs For The Future; Personal Finance Guide 1990: Building Your Fortune

Originally broadcast on the Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC), these two programs presented by U.S. News & World Report share some of the same faults endemic to "TV news" presentations, yet also offer a wealth of information at a very affordable price for people worried about their economic futures. The format for both programs is the same: a male and female anchor team interview a range of experts and field questions from the studio audience. Scattered throughout the programs are on-site interviews from feature reporters, and each program concludes with a humorous commentary by wit Vic Sussman. In Jobs for the Future, viewers are given the prospects in various categories for future employment, while commentators discuss the changing corporate structure of big business, the influence of the growing female work force on the employee benefit programs (more flextime, job-sharing, on-site daycare, etc.), and the continuing emergence of small-time entrepreneurs who have taken advantage of the recent technological advances to set up and run their own home-based businesses. In Building Your Fortune, viewers will learn the sobering economic realities of the 1990s, a far cry from the spendfree 1980s. With educational costs rising and an increasing longevity in humans, many baby boomers are now suffering the "triple squeeze": in addition to their ongoing financial cares, they also must set aside whopping amounts for their children's college years, as well as plan for taking care of their aging parents. Ranging all over the board, the program touches on mutual funds, insurance investments, and other savings strategies, as well as examining the crisis in credit card spending (which has doubled in a decade), and the sure sign of danger for heavy credit users--using credit to make a credit payment (also known as "robbing Peter to pay Paul.") Both programs have a bit of the circus atmosphere to them, with the commentators talking in rapid, breathless tones about 401K company plans as if they're discussing an incoming missile strike--but the low price of the programs, and the up-to-date information make these programs good choices for public libraries. It should be noted that the tapes are recorded in the LP mode, yet we found the audio and video qualities on both programs to be surprisingly good. The other titles in the series: Best Ways to Stay Healthy, How Much Is Your Home Worth?, America's Best Colleges, and Best Investments for 1991. Recommended. (Available from: Video Treasures, 2001 Glenn Parkway, Batavia, OH 45103; 1-800-BEST VID.)