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PRICE CHECK Not long ago, banks were raising fees for checking-account customers who kept small balances. Is the tide turning? Citibank just slashed monthly charges on its EZ accounts to $7.50, from as high as $25 in some states. Nationally, fees average $9.50, according to Bank Rate Monitor. Washington Mutual, based in Seattle (800-756-8000), offers one of the best free-checking deals. For low-price offers check out community banks and credit unions.

SMOOTH SAILING Fidelity's Magellan fund was supposed to have become too big to manage. But after stumbling for a couple of years, the nation's largest mutual fund is reasserting itself. Last year the tech-heavy fund, run by Robert Stansky, beat the soaring S&P 500 with a 33% return. In February, Magellan pulled in nearly $500 million from investors, its highest monthly net in more than three years, according to Alpha Equity Research. So is bigger better again? No, says a study by Financial Research: in any given fund category, smaller funds generally beat bigger ones.

ALTERNATIVE COVERAGE Massages and acupuncture may seem like strange, exotic remedies, but more HMOs are starting to treat them as medicine worth paying for. An estimated two-thirds of the nation's HMOs, in fact, now cover some kind of alternative health care, typically chiropractic, acupuncture or massage therapy, according to a new study by Landmark Healthcare. In the future look for HMOs to expand coverage for vitamin therapy and acupressure, though you may still have to pay for kava or ginkgo out of your own pocket.