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Will you get on that flight?

The number of ticketed airline passengers bumped off their flight is increasing this year, according to federal transportation department data. About 10,000 passengers were kept off flights during the first quarter of the year because the seats were oversold, compared to 8,700 a year earlier.

The amount of mishandled luggage is also creeping upwards, to an average of 3.67 lost bags per 1,000 passengers in May. Alaska Airlines was the least likely to lose luggage; Atlantic Southeast Airlines was the most likely.

The wrong way to buy and sell stocks

Trying to buy when stocks are hot—and sell when they're not—is a losing strategy, confirms a study by Dalbar. Instead of holding on to their investments, most investors—motivated by fear and greed—pour money into the funds on market upswings, and pull it out in downturns.

According to the study, the average investor held shares in equity funds for a little over two years—and earned only 2.6 percent a year over the past 19 years. This is nearly 10 percentage points less than the S&P 500 index, which earned 12.2 percent for each year since 1984. It also compares poorly to an annual inflation rate of 3.1 percent, says the financial market research firm.

Shopping for a computer? Check these ratings

Yvonne Wollenberg. Online UPDATES.

Medical Economics

Sep. 5, 2003;80.