Your Money: Sep. 13, 1999

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SOFTWARE WARS Sun Microsystems is giving away an entire suite of Microsoft-compatible office software, from word processing, spreadsheet and presentation programs to calendars and e-mail. Download the free 65-MB StarOffice at www.sun.com (this may take a while) or pay $10 for a CD. Mac users must wait for the universally compatible Web-based version, Star-Portal, to offer the same applications and store their data online, creating truly portable desktops.

NIGHT MOVES On www.MarketXT.com small investors can buy and sell the 200 largest stocks on the N.Y.S.E. and NASDAQ from 6 to 8 p.m. E.T., but certain trading restrictions can make the after-hours market more volatile. Thin trading volumes can lead to major price swings, and risk-limiting stop-loss and good-until-canceled orders are not allowed. Since all traffic must go through online brokers--so far, only Discover and Dreyfus offer the nighttime service--transmission delays and other computer problems may foul up profits. For more info, read MarketXT's rather lengthy disclosure.

LEMON WATCH Donating your clunker to charity? Beware of ads promising "full Blue Book" value deductions regardless of condition; you may be giving your car away to for-profit companies that team up with or pose as charities. Red flags include handing the car over to someone with no visible ties to the charity, i.e., Joe's Wrecker Service, or being asked to leave the new title blank. Check the group's tax-exempt status on www.irs.ustreas.gov and get a receipt. The IRS is also nailing those who overstate the value of their cars, so keep a photo or mileage record in case the deduction is contested.

--By Julie Rawe