In Brief

By Anamaria Wilson

NET AGAIN If you missed the boat on dotcoms, now's your chance to cash in on a different shore. Last week Monument Advisors launched the EuroNet Fund, the first mutual fund focusing on European Internet stocks. Internet-related investment opportunities abroad are two to three years behind those in the U.S. If history repeats itself, there is money to be made. Plus if you're not up on Euro stocks, it's a way to get in the game.

RISKY BUSINESS Has the volatility of the stock market got you worried about the riskiness of your portfolio? At riskgrades.com you can punch in your portfolio holdings and get a free online risk assessment of your investments. The site analyzes each stock or fund and assigns it a grade of 1 to 1,000 (1,000 being, say, a Chechnyan Internet junk-bond offering). You can also find out how new investments affect the risk ratio of your portfolio, how much you should allocate to various asset classes, and generally get a feel for your own level of risk aversion.

LOAN DEPOT Is the only thing between you and that new back porch an empty wallet? If your credit is good, you can now spend the summer soaking up some rays--or, more likely, cursing as you pound that blackened thumb one more time. Home Depot, the home-improvement retailer, is expanding its loan program to make $30,000 in credit available in five to eight minutes--tops. If you qualify, you can spend the money on the spot. It's Home Depot's way of lending a helping hand, figuratively speaking.

--By Anamaria Wilson