In Brief: Jun. 26, 2000

WATCH IT The SEC recently issued a warning to investors about drawbacks relating to variable annuities--retirement tools that are a cross between a mutual fund and an insurance policy. Much of the increased popularity of these annuities is due to bonuses offered by companies seeking to lure investors unfamiliar with the instruments. The SEC maintains the bonuses are often undercut by hidden, higher withdrawal fees.

FULL SPEED AHEAD Got a penchant for speeding? Some help is on the way. The National Motorist Association is offering to pay your tickets for you--for a small fee. Members pay a minimum of $5 a month and get $100 worth of fines paid by the NMA. If you tend to garner traffic fines or find parking tickets piling up on your windshield, then for $50 you can receive $1,000 of coverage. Plus, the NMA is so open-minded it will even cover drunk-driving fines. But be careful: that doesn't give you license to drive drunk or recklessly.

MOBILE ADS In need of extra cash? If you're willing to ride around town in a car decorated with advertising, you're in luck. Several new companies in California, such as Autowraps and MyFreeCar, are paying people $200 to $500 a month for driving their own vehicles around town emblazoned with ads from companies like Yahoo and Dreyer's ice cream. Not everyone will qualify; you gotta have a nice enough ride and spend plenty of time tooling around the highways.

--By Anamaria Wilson