Bottom Line: succinct, to the point, useful

There are hundreds of magazines out there that appeal to all interests, from hobbies to cars to finances to beauty to computers. No one magazine can appeal in all fashions to the reader. This is not a “catch-all” magazine but it does a good job in 16 pages, 24 times a year. It is not an inexpensive magazine ($59.95 year) but every issue has something of use to the reader.

There are no advertisements in it (except for some of the products that they sell) and illustrations/graphics are not overpowering. It is a well designed magazine which is definitely filled with information. Compared to some other magazines where the editorial content starts on page 24, this periodical has about the same content as some 100 page magazines as they are filled with advertisements and unnecessary graphics which overly enlarge the magazine. I am not saying that the lack of advertisements makes for better editorial content but this has been a selling point for Consumer’s Reports for many years!

This is one magazine that is convenient to store, a full year only take about an inch or so of shelf space.

The cover always has 3-4 articles in the left column talking about coming trends. In the 1/15/6 issue, there were paragraphs about Tamiflu, investing in rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and low cost Chinese cars. The cover talks about the 2006 economic outlook and predictions from their experts. The experts for all articles are qualified for their articles where we know their educational background; where they work. How smart they are I really don’t know but everything is written in a fashion that the reader who is inexperienced on that topic can understand it.

There is also a quick table of contents in the upper right hand corner which covers many issues. There are always articles about investing/money which are helpful. There is also helpful information for your professional, personal, and home life. Articles in this issue included the following tips:
- Investing in commodities
- Saving money on appliances and electronics
- Fixing a leaky roof or basement
- Boat cruises
- Best coffees in the world
- Creating your own luck
- Woodstove buying guide

Almost any article covering purchases of an item will include sources to purchase, often including the company name, phone number, and/or website. For example, in the article on appliances, a list of over 20 websites is included. Some of them are fairly obvious (Amazon, eBay, Costco), but there are more than a few sites that I was not familiar with such as ubid.com, reburbdepot.com, reburbelectronics.com. I will definitely be referring to some of these websites when I have some future purchases to make.

The article on the coffees was informative. It discussed different countries but also listed 8 companies with pricing, phone numbers, websites so that one can make an educated choice of which coffee to purchase. As this publication does have an appeal to the upscale shopper, the prices range from $10+ to over $30 a pound (plus shipping!).

There are also a lot of short little articles dispersed throughout the publication which may or may not be of interest to every reader. I don’t need reasons to take a cruise as I am not interested in them. Nor am I interested in reading about fibroids. However, these may appeal to other readers.

Their financial advice information is excellent. I do follow it and have been happy with some of the investments that I’ve made over the past few years with my IRAs and long term investing. I cannot vouch for those writers, but they appear to have high qualifications and cover the topics in a way that I can readily understand!

I tend to read about 85% of each issue. Despite the high price, I would call the magazine an excellent value as it often provides sources for making better purchase, finding gifts.

The last two pages always cover interesting topics from referral fees for money, travel, pets, personal, diet, moneysavers, health, shopping which I always enjoy.

The bottom line on Bottom Line is that it is a great publication that you will eagerly look forward to receiving in your mail box.